Now that fall has arrived, many Nebraskans are looking forward to watching games at Memorial Stadium--a place that continues to draw huge crowds, but, unfortunately, scammers know this as well.
The Nebraska Attorney General’s Office is warning consumers to be on the lookout for ticket scams, especially at sporting events.
The primary way to not get scammed is to avoid buying tickets from individual sellers you do not know, particularly if they are offered at a steep discount.
Here are additional tips to help you buy event tickets:
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When shopping for tickets online, it is best you skip over the sponsored ticket listings at the top of search results pages as they are more likely to be fraudulent. Instead, scroll down until you find the official venue or approved reseller sites.
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Check the format in which the venue accepts and scans tickets. Many venues have moved to using digital tickets only. If you have been sold a paper ticket, but the venue only accepts digital tickets, you’ve been scammed.
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Digital tickets also raise the possibility of getting scammed with counterfeit tickets. Keep in mind that tickets can be photoshopped or legitimate tickets screenshotted and sold multiple times. If possible, compare the tickets you want to purchase to a family or friend’s legitimate tickets. Scam tickets will usually have discrepancies when compared to legitimate tickets.
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Buy tickets with a credit card instead of less secure forms of payment like digital payment apps. If there is a problem with your ticket and you’ve paid by a payment app, there is a good chance you will not get your money back.
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Ignore unsolicited ticket offers on social media. It is likely a scammer. Do not submit payment to someone you have not met in person. When buying from a reseller, check to see that they have a customer protection policy.
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Lastly, you can be part of the solution by not sharing images of your tickets online. Scammers use these images to create fake tickets to sell to others.
For additional information to protect yourself and share with friends and family, go to AGO.Nebraska.gov. If you find you may have been scammed, please report to our office or call our Consumer Affairs Response Team at 402-471-2682 to assist you in identifying a scam.
