Miss State and Ole Miss fans should keep an eye out for potential scams involving ticket sales, the Better Business Bureau of Mississippi warns. According to the BBB, the most typical scam involves ticket sales outside the stadium, on the street or through online auctions, classified ads and bulletin billboards.
Fans could be fooled by counterfeit tickets or paying in advance for tickets that are never delivered.
According to a press release from the BBB, the secondary market for sporting and entertainment tickets is estimated to be more than $10 billion a year.
The internet has become a breeding ground for scammers aiming to take advantage of sports fans.
The BBB offers the following advice for fans:
* 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, see if there is a BBB seal on the website and click on it to make sure it is real. 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.
* Always use a credit card so you have some recourse; do not use cash.
* Know the difference between a ticket broker (legitimate and accredited reseller) and a ticket scalper (unregulated and unlicensed ticket seller).
* Check the ticket broker’s refund policy. Only buy from a ticket reseller that provides clear details about the terms of the transaction.
* Check the seats out ahead of time. Always ask for section, row and seat number to avoid obstructed view seats or seats that do not exist. Also, feel free to ask questions to make certain you get all the answers you need to feel comfortable with your ticket purchase.
