Consumer Protection warns of Super Bowl ticket scams

ALBANY | The New York Department of State's Division of Consumer Protection is warning New York consumers to be aware of Super Bowl ticket scams as game day quickly approaches. Unlike other events, Super Bowl tickets are not typically sold to the general public, but are distributed to NFL teams, franchises and others who can then resell them. Fans usually get excited about their favorite team and may decide to see them play live to be part of the experience and share in the excitement. This makes the Super Bowl an attractive opportunity for scammers to pose as resellers and steal money from dedicated fans. Consumers should follow important steps to avoid fake tickets and lost money ahead of the Super Bowl on Feb. 9. "With the Super Bowl right around the corner, fans may be scrambling to snag tickets to see their team play in the big game," said Secretary of State Walter T. Mosley. "But looking for last minute tickets could make you an easy target for scammers. Don't get intercepted by Super Bowl scams – read our consumer tips and help prevent scammers from ruining the game for you." TIPS TO AVOID SUPER BOWL TICKET SCAMS Look for official resellers: Many scammers will try to "resell" fake tickets. Check out the official NFL website for information on how to buy tickets from verified sources. Scammers may also create fake websites that look like official ones, so always double check the URLs to make sure the websites you visit are real. Watch out for fake tickets: Scammers deceive unsuspecting consumers with nonexistent tickets advertised on social media, fake websites and online marketplaces like Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace and Instagram. They may even send you convincing looking screenshots, barcodes or confirmation emails. Watch out for resellers who request payment from outside an official ticket platform. Reputable ticketing platforms have built-in systems that allow resellers to transfer digital tickets and the consumer to send payment directly through the official website or app. Only buy tickets from sources you know and trust. Know how tickets will be accessed for the event: For this year's Superbowl, all tickets are mobile and use barcodes which refresh every few seconds for security. Don't believe a reseller who tries to convince you a screenshot, PDF or paper ticket is a real Super Bowl ticket. Use a strong password for your ticket account so a scammer can't hack into your account and steal your ticket. Verify the seller: You can also look up the seller on VerifiedTicket.natb.org to confirm you are buying from a National Association of Ticket Brokers member resale company, which requires its members to guarantee that every ticket sold on their websites is legitimate. Beware of low prices: Don't let the excitement of finally finding a good deal on a ticket cloud your judgement. Many scammers use low prices and will try and pressure you into quickly buying the tickets. If it looks too good to be true, it's probably a scam. Consider paying with a credit card: Credit cards generally offer more fraud protection than other payment methods like debit cards and payment apps if you ever need to dispute a charge. Scammers often want you to pay with payment apps, prepaid gift cards or cash since these payment methods are untraceable and may not allow you to stop payment or reverse a transaction. Want to stream the game instead? Know your rights with free trials: If you sign up for a free trial on a streaming service to watch the game, keep track of when the trial ends and cancel beforehand to avoid paying for an unwanted subscription. New York State law requires businesses that offer automatically renewing subscriptions with free trials to outline how you can cancel the service before you sign up.

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Consumer Protection warns of Super Bowl ticket scams

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