I paid a stranger on Facebook $1,545 for tickets to Taylor Swift's 'Eras Tour.' Here's how I avoided getting scammed.

• Joni Sweet never got access to Ticketmaster's presale for Taylor Swift's Eras Tour.
• She bought tickets from Facebook because sites like StubHub were selling tickets for thousands — way outside of Sweet's budget.
• Sweet insisted on using Paypal Goods and Services to protect herself during the risky transaction.

In January, I did something I never thought I would do: I paid a stranger I met on Facebook $1,545.10 for tickets to Taylor Swift's Eras Tour.

It was a risky move. I had heard reports of other people getting scammed out of more than a thousand dollars after they tried to buy tickets from resellers, so I was nervous.