Scammer used fake promises from Donna Kelce and Taylor Swift to bilk victim
A North Dakota woman couldn’t believe her good fortune when she received a text from someone claiming to be Donna Kelce, the mother of Chiefs star Travis Kelce.
Unfortunately, the text was actually from a scam artist who later told the woman she had won a new pickup truck and the chance to meet Taylor Swift, Valley News Live reported. To get the truck, all Mary Pickarell of West Fargo, North Dakota, would need was $100 in gift cards from Walmart, that story noted.
Unfortunately, the promise of a once-in-a-lifetime prize proved to be a fake.
“I got a text from a lady saying that she was Travis Kelce’s mom,” Pickarell told Valley News Live. “She put me down as a chance to win things from Taylor Swift for Mother’s Day. They told me that I won. I was a lucky winner.”
Valley News Live said Pickarell is on disability, so getting together the $100 wasn’t easy. But the chance to meet the world’s biggest musical artist was just too exciting. Unfortunately, Swift never promised to be part of the prize. That was part of the scam.
It was tough for Pickarell when she realized she’d been bilked.
“I went into tears,” Pickarell said. “No part of me thought it sounded off. I was just anxious to meet Taylor Swift in person.”
This story was originally published May 17, 2025 at 9:04 AM.
