College football games start this weekend, don’t get duped by ticket scams

RALEIGH, NC (WTVD) — The college football season is about to start, which means it’s time for ticket scammers to try and buck the games. Since the pandemic, most sports venues have switched to digital-only tickets, making it easier for scammers.

In 2021, the Better Business Bureau said it had more than one hundred and forty ticket scams related to sporting events, concerts, theaters and more. When buying tickets, especially for sporting events, try to buy directly from the venue or college. By purchasing a ticket from the ticket source, you usually avoid paying over face value and receive the tickets directly via email.

When googling tickets for the soccer game you want, be very careful when you click on the first few sites as they are often third party sites that resell tickets above face value.

Before you click Buy Online, make sure your purchase comes with a warranty and also look for a lock icon in the web address to indicate the site is secure. For the best protection, always use a credit card to purchase tickets. Nick Hill of the BBB of Eastern North Carolina says, “If you’re buying from someone second-hand, we recommend that you use a payment service so that you can file a claim with that service if the tickets don’t come out as promised, and im.” Hopefully if you get scammed you’ll get your money back.”

The BBB also warns consumers about look-alike Ticketmaster scams. The agency says the scam works if you do an internet search for a specific concert, which returns results for Ticketmaster. You click through to the website and everything looks normal. The BBB reports that the site asks you to enter your personal information and a credit card number. However, as soon as you complete a transaction, you notice some suspicious activity. The BBB says victims reported receiving tickets in someone else’s name, or the site charged the consumer a much higher price than advertised. Upon closer inspection, the consumer realized that they were not on Ticketmaster’s website at all, but on a similar website with a similar name. The BBB says when victims called the customer service number, they were either unavailable, unhelpful, or downright aggressive.

You also need to be careful when you find tickets that are for sale on social media. Don’t be tempted by overpriced tickets and be extremely careful as you never know who you are dealing with.