If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to receive updates by email or get my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!

It has been reported that three men form Atlanta were busted in Indianapolis this week, after selling counterfeit tickets to as many as 40 fans for Sunday’s game between the Indianapolis Colts and New England Patriots. These con artists had been selling tickets since the last Super Bowl – and were caught with fake tickets for dozens of major events.

So how do you know if a ticket is counterfeit? You don’t.

Most events have multiple types of tickets they sell. For example, existing Season Ticket holders often get the fanciest tickets, complete with holograms, color photo, etc. But new Season ticket holders often get a modified version of the ticket you would get from Ticketmaster. Then there are the standard single game tickets fans buy from Ticketmaster. And last, there are e-tickets. Adding confusion, tickets do not look the same from year to year, or stadium to stadium.

 

There is also the small possibility the ticket is not counterfeit, but it is void or already used. Now that many tickets have barcodes, they can be cancelled and reissued. Or used, and then slipped to someone outside who resells it.

 

How can you protect yourself?

 

If I was buying tickets, I would use these 3 rules to guide me:

1. Know the Seller. Are you buying them from Ticketmaster? Your co-worker or sibling? Someone you have bought from before? Or a site or Brokerage that is large, has an excellent reputation, and has been in business for a long time? Basically, if you know where to find the Seller on game day if there is an issue – then they pass the test for “knowing the seller.”

2. Know the Source. Are you buying directly from the source – like Ticketmaster, the team, or an artist? If not, did the Seller buy the ticket directly from the source? So buying from a Broker who is a Season Ticket Holder is fine, but buying from a Broker, who bought them from a Season Ticket Holder, is not. One too many places something could go wrong. Basically, if the Seller bought directly from the source – then they pass the test for “knowing the source.”

3. Know how to get a refund. Are you paying with a Credit Card? If not, what will your plan be when you find out the tickets are fake? Always use a Credit Card. Federal Law and Credit Card agreements with merchants are biased toward the Consumer. If the tickets are bad, and the Seller won’t give you a refund, file a dispute with the Credit Card. You will get a temporary credit on your card, and the charge will be reversed if the Seller can’t prove the tickets were legitimate. If you paid with plastic, then they pass the test for “know how to get a refund.”

Over the next few weeks I will cover many of the ways fans buy tickets (eBay, StubHub, Craigslist, Ticket Websites, and Scalpers) and provide some additional ways to protect yourself in each situation.

 

Be safe!

 

 

This entry was posted on Tuesday, November 6th, 2007 at 4:14 pm and is filed under Buying Strategy. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.