Kristi King, wtop.com
WASHINGTON – If an unsolicited sketchy guy stepped out of a dark alley peddling cheap Super Bowl tickets for great seats, any reasonable person might feel suspicious.
But some scams are harder to detect.
Nefarious sellers have numbers of ploys. So-called “package deals”, for example, may suggest they include essentials, but leave out necessities such as as transportation to New Orleans or actual tickets to the game.
The Better Business Bureau warns against purchasing phony memorabilia or team gear.
Then there’s the San Francisco ticket buyer who thought she was dealing with a Florida tax attorney offering tickets on Craigslist for $5,900.
A California newspaper describes the woman’s ordeal of communicating with the seller via email, text and phone, then being sent a Fed Ex envelope containing only a sheet of paper with a typed message: “ENJOY THE GAME!!!! GOO RAVENS!!! LOL.”
Craigslist warns against wiring payments for purchases using Western Union or Moneygram, but that’s how the woman says she paid.
The Better Business Bureau recommends sticking to official sellers such as Stub Hub or Ticketmaster.
For official team gear, the BBB recommends using only official team or NFL websites. When dealing with unvetted sellers, the BBB says beware of pushy sales tactics or offers that sound too good to be true.
The Baltimore Ravens take on The San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl 47 Feb. 3, 2013, at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana.
The game will be televised on CBS. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Halftime entertainment is Beyonce.
Follow @WTOP on Twitter.
(Copyright 2013 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)
