BBB warns of ticket scams ahead of Cincinnati Reds’ opening day

“Fans are ready for opening day ready to get to the game,” John North, President and CEO of Better Business Bureau, stated. “People that are selling tickets less than legitimately take advantage of that opportunity as well.”

News Center 7′s Consumer Investigative Reporter Xavier Hershovitz looked into ways to confirm tickets fans get are real.

The Reds told us some single-seat tickets are still available for opening day and plenty of options in the resale market. However, the BBB warns fans looking to buy tickets should be careful.

The Bureau says the top scams they see are overpriced and duplicate tickets.

“People going buying up the tickets, scalping them, selling them for an enormous amount of money. Another popular scam that we see is that they actually duplicate your ticket,” says John North, President and CEO of BBB.

And, “not only do they sell Zach a ticket, they sell Zach’s friend a ticket when Zach shows up at the stadium. There are two tickets. Who gets the seat?” North asked. “So, they’re actually replicating the tickets and making double the money on that particular scam.”

North says most ticket re-sale apps like Stub Hub have safeguards in place to prevent duplicate tickets.

However, “nothing is foolproof. So it’s up to the consumer to do that final check,” North suggested.

Another risk fans face when purchasing tickets is when they buy from someone standing outside of Great American Ball Park.

“Zack may value the read so much that he’s willing to pay extra dollars to go to the game. But, go in there knowingly that you’re paying those extra dollars to see that game,” North said.

“It’s not the best way to do business because you don’t know what you’re getting,” North continued. “There’s really no way to verify that that your ticket is going to be legitimate.”

BBB offers a few tips on the best ways to stay safe when buying tickets:

· Purchase from the venue whenever possible. Many official ticket sales agents now offer secondary sales options, as well.

• Consider your source. Know the difference between a professional ticket broker (a legitimate and accredited reseller), a ticket scalper (an unregulated and unlicensed ticket seller), and a scammer selling scam tickets.
• Check out the seller/broker. Look them up on BBB.org to learn what other customers have experienced. Look up the seller on VerifiedTicketSource.com to confirm you are buying from a NATB-member resale company.
• Buy only from trusted vendors. Buy online only from vendors you know and trust. Look for the lock symbol in the web address to indicate a secure purchasing system. Don’t click on emails or online ads; a common ticket scam trick is to create a web address that is similar to a well-known company.
• Know the refund policy. You should only purchase tickets from a ticket reseller that provides clear details about the terms of the transaction. Sellers should disclose to the purchaser, before purchase, the location of the seats represented by the tickets, either orally or by reference to a seating chart; and, if the tickets are not available for immediate access to the purchaser, disclose when the tickets will ship or be available for pick up.
• Use payment methods that come with protection. Always use a credit card, so you have some recourse if the tickets are not as promised. Debit cards, wire transfers, or cash transactions are risky; if the tickets are fraudulent, you won’t be able to get your money back.
• Be wary of advertisements. When you search the web for online tickets, advertisements for cheap tickets will often appear. Use good judgment; some of these ads will be ticket scams, especially if the prices are low.
• If you’re unsure, verify your tickets. Pay a visit to the arena where the event will be held. Present your ticket to “Will Call” (customer service), and they can verify if your ticket is legitimate and show you how to tell if it is fake.