DETROIT -- As the Detroit Tigers take on the Texas Rangers in the American League Championship Series, some criminals are taking advantage of the pennant fever.
The Better Business Bureau (BBB) reports there have been reports of fake ticket sellers trying to get money off of sports fans.
Most often, the scams take place right outside the stadium, where the scammers try to sell the fake tickets to those who are trying to get last minute entrance to the game. “Sports fans can get burned by purchasing counterfeit tickets or paying in advance for tickets that never arrive,” said Patrick Bennett, BBB Director of Community Relations.
Secondly, many online tickets have been proven to be counterfeit. “The Internet has become the arena of choice for sports fans looking to buy or sell tickets,” Bennett said. “Unfortunately, it also has become a breeding ground for scammers looking to take advantage of sports fans.”
The BBB offers these tips for those seeking to purchase tickets to a Tigers’ game:
- Be careful buying tickets from someone on the street. When you get to the gate and find out your tickets aren’t real, the seller will be long gone.
- Before buying from an online ticket broker, look for the BBB logo on the website and click on it to make sure it is real. The BBB’s dynamic seal will take you directly to the BBB Business Review on the company, where you can read about the company’s record for responding to complaints. Make sure the website has a secure payment processing system, usually denoted by “https://” at the start of its website address or URL or a small closed lock icon at the bottom of the screen.
- If you buy tickets through an online auction site, choose a seller with a long history of satisfied customers. Scammers can hijack old accounts, so make sure the seller has recently sold other tickets.
- Ticket buyers also should be wary of sellers who try to lure buyers from a legitimate site to another site for a “private” transaction. Scammers often want to conduct their business on sites with names that mimic well-known companies but actually are fakes.
- If you are buying tickets through an online classified ad site, never pay the seller by wire transfer. You will have no way to get your money back if the tickets do not arrive or are counterfeit.
