Ticket Scammers Looking To Cash In On Cardinals Fans
Hey St. Louis Cardinals fans- as the excitement of your favorite team being back in the playoffs since 2015 begins, don’t let yourself be duped by ticket scammers looking to cash in.
The Cardinals will face the Atlanta Braves in a National League Division Series. The Cardinals are scheduled to host Games 3 and 4 of the series on Sunday, Oct. 6, and Monday, Oct. 7. According to the Cardinals, all tickets for the division series will be delivered digitally through the MLB Ballpark app.
The secondary market for sports and entertainment tickets has exploded in recent years, including tickets bought and sold by professional brokers as well as those purchased and resold by speculators and season ticket holders. Ticket scams are the source of thousands of BBB complaints by consumers nationwide.
The Better Business Bureau’s president Michelle Corey says you should be extremely leery of tickets being sold outside of Busch Stadium, and always do some research on any seller you’re considering buying from online.
“The internet has become the arena of choice for sports fans looking to buy or sell tickets. Unfortunately, it also has become a breeding ground for scammers looking to take advantage of sports fans.”
If you buy tickets through an online auction site, choose a seller with a history of satisfied customers. Scammers can hijack old accounts, so make sure the seller has recently sold other tickets.
Also be wary of sellers who try to lure you 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, avoid paying the seller by wire transfer. You will have no way to get your money back if the tickets do not arrive or are counterfeit.
Lastly, use your credit card, so if the tickets do turn out to be fake- you can at least challenge it with your credit card company later.
There’s a list of reputable ticket vendors at BBB.org. It also includes ratings on ticket firms on the secondary market that provide buyer protections, including money-back guarantees if tickets are fake. On some sites, the sellers also have to provide their credit card numbers so the site can charge the seller’s card for the cost of replacement tickets if they sell fake tickets.
Report scams to BBB Scam Tracker.