I just received a disturbing tip that a website called America Haunted is selling tickets on Groupon to haunted houses that do not exist.
“America Is Haunted is a night time experience designed to take you back to the fright-filled state Halloween should be. With more than 42 locations around the country we have built a two-year track record of sold out haunts! Our unique combination of eccentric gory entertainment draws tens of thousands in revellers annually.”
I kind of know a thing or 2 about haunted houses – and I have never heard of them or any of these haunts. I looked on the alleged scammer’s website and tried to verify the haunted attractions where I live in NJ and NY. I also did my second “home” of FL and every other place that I tour. I could not verify any of them to be legitimate. A reader let me know that one of the ones in Miami certainly is the address of a gravel refinery where they is no haunted attraction. Another told me one address was an abandoned building.
Remember to always google the haunted attraction before giving anyone any money. I am disappointed in Groupon for allowing this and hope that if anyone bought these tickets that they can get their money back. I have had a negative opinion of Groupon and this seals the deal on that.
EDIT: Many have written in saying that these are all addresses of building that are currently up for lease. Faaaaaabulous. :/
16 responses to ““America Haunted” haunted house scam? Website allegedly selling tickets on Groupon to haunted attractions that don’t exist”
I am the attorney for American Haunt. Please have your the Legal Agent for OneZumiverse.com contact my office immediately at 866-828-2845.
Mr Hernandez, if that really IS your name. I called your number. It is the SAME number that is on the web site????? It says “this mailbox is full” (the other number on the site doesn’t exist.”the number you called is incorrect. Please check the number and call again.” )
If you are a LAWYER you would post the LAW OFFICES number which would NEVER have a full mailbox.
You ever you are, I would make a quick trip out of the country, your scam is exposed.
I just did a search on their http://www.americaishaunted.com/ domain…and it looks like the Wix account they used is not set up.
“Trying to connect your domain to your Wix site?
If you don’t have a website yet, click here.”
I have been doing a lot of research on this company and the subject. First of all I want to start off by saying I have been in the industry since 1999. I have never heard of this company. There are no names listed for people running this company. I first went to the page and saw the “We are a fan page†right on the front. There is no mention of any thing else, just some pretty generic pictures posted on the main page. I saw the about page. Clicked on that. There is some generic words on the page, very bland. No description, or images of what they have done last year, no haunt names to grab attention. I know first hand that to even open a simple 3 trailer haunt anywhere in the country it would take a minimum of $150,000 just to buy trailers, and pay for permitting. So how in their first/second year would they have about 40 so called haunts by them? That would be a hefty cost of just $8,000,000 just to get off the ground in those 40 markets, minimum. You have to brand your product, since there was no haunt names listed, there was no branding. I also though that was a bit off. What really stood out was on one spot on the website under FAQ page it says 21st- Halloween opening, but tickets are 22nd of October opening…. Then there was the map of locations… Funny I have seen that exact map before! Oh that’s right on AmericaHaunts.com!!! Funny they have a listing for an attraction in Las Vegas, NV… but on the map there is no skull indicating the location of Las Vegas, NV… Hum minor over site while using someone else’s picture files… Maybe. Well my families haunts are in Las Vegas, and I can tell you this. The location is a vacant warehouse that is for sale, or lease. If they are less then a week from opening, wouldn’t there be some sort of construction going on? We drove to the location, and yup you guessed it… EMPTY! Not even the dust on the floor was being disturbed. Also saw that this was in county. County has very, VERY strict rules about haunted houses, especially where fire and safety is concerned, making it almost impossible for any haunt trailer or otherwise to get permits to even be there, and you need a building permit, business permit, fire inspection and a bunch of other hoops to be filed in advance about 45 days just to hope to open on time. Spoke with the fire inspectors and no permits have been filed for that location. Weird, maybe there were planning on setting up the day before, doing their run, and leaving in the middle of the night? Well then they would have to be trailer haunts which still take a few days to set up, and no sign of trailers any where…. Needless to say I started looking at all the addresses of the haunts they have listed. Almost all of the ones I looked up are abandoned warehouse buildings, very well hidden in industrial complexes… Funny. People would get lost trying to find them wouldn’t they? Maybe that was the intention. I also started looking for advertizing in the areas, there is nothing. They are not promoting their haunted houses except on Groupon…. Wow. How do they expect to open a haunted house in Las Vegas, and only sell tickets through Groupon and be successful with only 2 tickets sold. There is no mention of tickets being sold at the location, only online ticket sales through their website. If that doesn’t sound fishy I don’t know what does. Well I think I have determined through well normal thought process that this is a fake website, fake company, and there are no haunted houses. This so called company is taking money through Groupon for haunts that don’t exist. The ticket sales go off line before the haunts are set to open, giving them almost a week for all the monies to be deposited into their accounts, and then vanish. Sounds like the half hatched plan of someone who doesn’t know how things work. First of all the industry watches it’s self with a very tight eye. Haunt owners across the country work together to protect their own. Bet you didn’t know that. Every major city they listed is a major hub for Haunt owners and lovers alike. Now if they succeed in doing this scam, there will be major repercussions in the industry. That poor family who has never been to a haunt, who spent their allotment of money to go to one haunted house, bought the fake tickets, is now out the money to go to a real one. Now they think that all haunts are the same. They will talk, and probably never go to a haunt again. This has the ripple affect hurting those who have spent the last 20 years trying to turn the image of haunted houses around, and thanks to this self serving “company†they will set us back another 20 years. This is a scam. I stand by my word and my research. They have threatened someone else who wrote about it being a scam. I am the one who turned her on to your smoke screen. I am the one who has helped provide her with the real truth about your scam. I would love to talk to your legal department so I can find out the people behind the screen, so that Groupon, and every haunted house owner in every market you faked your way into can sue your assets into the ground for loss of income. So please spread the word of this fake company. Let us make an example of anyone who thinks this is an easy way to make money no matter who it hurts. Oh and legal department for Americaishaunted.com I have screen shots, pictures, and testimony of about 30 people that you are fake. I can show that your website stole images from other websites to use as your own, I bet you didn’t pay to use them, did you…..
Did you see the Facebook page is gone now? 🙂 Good job.
I just dropped an email to haunt world about your post. I saw the information Sunday evening after haunt in a Scareactor group I am a part of. Not happy. Hope that your effort and the sharing of your post by all the haunters out there help to catch these sacks of dirt.
Hmm…It looks like it’s been taken down!
And I continue: I kept digging a bit more. The address AiH has listed is 601 Figueroa Street Suite 4050 Los Angeles CA 90017
Googled the address and it is for a different company: http://www.yelp.com/biz/servcorp-los-angeles
Not even your real address. Interesting.
There is a bit of food for thought. Did you know that if you sell tickets for an event that crosses state lines, and you fail to hold said event, and refund those tickets sold it becomes a federal fraud case? I’m sure the legal team for AiH knew this, or failed to mention that. I do hope that every single ticket gets refunded soon. I am currently putting everything together for the legal team for Groupon, as well as the FBI. I’m sure they would love to know more….
Also as an FYI I have contacted every news source in my area, Groupon, and Active, you know… your ticketing company, and my very special favorite… the FBI. And now I am starting to work down the list of haunt areas posted on the website letting every town know through their news…. So Oscar, Mr. I’m a Lawyer, I think I have check and MATE. The company will be refunding all the tickets sold to your fake haunts, or go to jail… The numbers are out, lines are drawn. I’m pretty sure you WILL be hearing from the FBI, Groupon, Active, and a ton of news agencies…. I hope you and Americaishaunted.com have a Happy Halloween, oh and GET OUT OF MY INDUSTRY.
Brilliantly done, Melinda.
And I second that last sentiment.
We were tipped off about an investigation going on here in Iowa as well. Groupon has suspended their sales, and Catch Des Moines/Travel Iowa tourism sites have delisted them. The business at the location they claim to be using was quite surprised to hear there was a haunted house there. I guess not all the buildings are empty (this one is for sale, but still being used). Also, the Orlando location is occupied too. Fun stuff. “And I would have gotten away with it if it wasn’t for you meddling kids!”
The Kentucky location is fake too. It’s a warehouse used by the USPS. No haunted house there!
Here via Dusti..
The Philly site is an industrial warehouse/trucking depot. (And yes, I wrote to Groupon, too.)
The Philly site:
9300 Ashton Road
Philadelphia PA 19114
Check it out on Street View, it’s a residential neighborhood. There may be some empty warehouse space up the driveway at 9250.
Oh, that “Servcorp” address? Virtual offices…
http://www.servcorp.com/en/locations/los-angeles/figueroa-at-wilshire/
WOW.
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