A prominent Atlanta-area businessman has been accused of swindling nearly a dozen people - including his own mother - out of almost $1 million in a Super Bowl ticket scam, Nicole Carr of WSB-TV reports.
The man, Ketan Shah, was also reported missing by his wife earlier this month.
Sandy Springs resident Alan Tartt, one of the alleged victims, said he was introduced to Shah through a mutual friend and started making $5,000 payments to him as deposits for $20,000 worth of tickets. However, when they were scheduled to meet, Tartt said he couldn't get in touch with Shah.
WSB-TV obtained records showing that Shah's mother told police she lost $36,000 in the scam, but she chose not to press charges.
The biggest loss reported was a $500,000 payment from a businessman in Columbus, Ga., who said Shah promised him tickets and the opportunity to host an arena Super Bowl event.
"Right now, what we know of is just slightly over three quarters of a million dollars scammed out for Super Bowl-related stuff," said Gwinnett County police spokesperson Wilbert Rundles.
"It's not that he posted some ad and random people are contacting this guy for tickets and being scammed. He's known these people for many years. One of them, he's known his whole life because it's his own mother, and he's taken advantage of them."
