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Police: Franklin Woman Arrested After Netting $10,000 In Football Ticket Scam

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- A Franklin woman accused of scamming Jets and Giants fans out of thousands of dollars worth of tickets has been arrested.

Franklin police said Wednesday evening that Alicia Pallozzi was apprehended in Franklin Borough as she was traveling back from Maryland. Detectives say she scammed fans and convinced them to hand over hundreds of dollars in cash for a promise of a VIP ticket deal.

"Tonight we apprehended Alicia Pallozzi," said Franklin Police Detective Nevin Mattessich. "I explained to her what the charges were I explain what her bail was and her response was I just want to go to jail."

Nancy Padalino, one of the alleged victims, said she believed Pallozzi.

"I've been friends with her since high school. She's one of my really good friends. Of course this is legit," said Padalino.

Padalino says Pallozzi posted the amazing deal on Facebook -- $100 for five VIP tickets to a Jets or Giants game at MetLife Stadium. Pallozzi claimed it was a perk her husband received form his culinary school job.

"You got a suite. You had a buffet. You got to meet the players. You got the VIP parking. It was amazing," said Padalino.

Padalino, a married mother of seven, bought six VIP packages, which was a total of 30 tickets for $600. More than a dozen of Pallozzi's friends, like Tricia Bower, also bought into the bogus bargain.

"I really had no reason not to trust her," said Bower.

Pallozzi has been busted for fraud before. Police say the ticket deal she was selling was a total scam, netting her at least $10,000.

"It was 100 percent cash hand-to-hand transactions that occurred and the tickets were just never received," said Franklin Police Detective Nevin Mattessich.

The victims say the deal turned sour when Pallozzi claimed her husband lost his job and couldn't get the tickets. Pallozzi texted Bower and Padalino saying she would give both of them their $600 back, but then she vanished.

"She deleted her Facebook page. She changed her number. She's gone missing. We cannot find her anywhere," said Padalino.

The two mothers say Pallozzi's lies have not only killed their friendship with her, they've hurt their children.

"My children were devastated, because we were getting these tickets for them as part of their early Christmas present and now I'm out $600 for my children for Christmas this year because I trusted a friend that I shouldn't have," said Padalino.

"I really like her to be a decent person and turn herself in. She hurt a lot of people," said Bower.

Caitlyn Borras told CBS2's Jessica Layton that Pallozzi set up a GoFundMe page to help the family pay for funeral costs for her sister who passed away from substance abuse last year. It's a loss compounded after learning her heartbroken family may have been scammed while they were grieving.

"She had ulterior motives the whole time, it makes me sick," said Borras.

Experts say beware of any deal that looks too good to be true. NFL tickets packages at $20 a piece fit that bill, even if being sold by a friend.

There's no guarantee any of those football fans will ever get back any of the money they lost.

Mattessich says he's meeting with representatives from the NFL Thursday to try to make sure a scam like this doesn't happen again.

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