Gonzaga fan scammed out of $8k trying to buy basketball tickets from ‘Thomas Jefferson’

A Gonzaga fan was scammed out of $8,000 when she tried to buy basketball tickets from a man who identified himself as “Thomas Jefferson,” the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release Wednesday.

The man, identified as Dennis Andreasen, told the victim of the scheme he was selling the tickets for a deal that included additional perks, the release said. The victim agreed to pay the money for a “package” because her family enjoys going to Gonzaga games.

In February, the victim’s friend sensed she was being scammed because she had still never received the tickets, the sheriff’s office said. The friend decided to follow Andreasen during a meetup, where he said he was still waiting on the tickets, but he ran.

Andreasen was arrested but later released because detectives could not establish probable cause. When the investigation continued, detectives discovered Andreasen was using a fake social media profile, was providing false bank information and used a rental car, which they concluded was all in an “elaborate scheme” to defraud someone, the sheriff’s office said.

Andreasen now has a warrant out for his arrest on charges of theft, but his whereabouts are unknown.

Those with information regarding Andreasen’s whereabouts are encouraged to call Crime Check at (509)-456-2233, reference #10017900.