Better Business Bureau Issues Fake Ticket Warning Ahead Of Wild Card Game
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -The Wild Card format boils down to winner moves on, loser goes home and that is putting tickets at a premium for tonight's game.
Limited seating means ticket prices are sky-rocketing and scammers are quick to take your cash.
Today, the Better Business Bureau issued a warning to those looking to score tickets to tonight's game.
"Scammers will capitalize on any opportunity that is at their disposal," Better Business Bureau Public Relations Director Caitlin Driscoll said.
That is exactly why the Better Business Bureau has been around for decades.
"A lot of the time that is where these forgeries are coming from and these transactions are primarily made through cash. So, when consumers get to the stadium with these tickets that they feel are legitimate, when they find out they are fakes, they are unable to find that ticket scalper again to get their money back," Caitlin Driscoll said.
Jon Malen, of Squirrel Hill, knows that so he bought his tickets to the Wild Card Game directly through the Pirates.
"We usually buy tickets through the box office or through StubHub. It works out," he said.
StubHub is just one broker and there are thousands of them across the country.
However, not all are created equal.
"The best thing to do is to make sure you are purchasing tickets from a legitimate and reputable ticket broker, and you can find the ticket broker by looking at the National Association of Ticket Brokers and going through their list of registered brokers," Driscoll said.
There is another that you need to watch and it's all in the way you have to pay.
"It should also be a red flag if a seller is asking for payment in just cash or asking for a wire transfer. Always pay through credit card so you have a better recourse if the transaction goes awry," Driscoll said.
The last thing you want to do is get to the gate tonight only to find out that your ticket is no good and your money is gone.
"I wouldn't buy a ticket from a scalper because the way that tickets can be printed any more you can't tell if they are fake or not," Janet Hale said.
Now, back to the business of baseball.
Malen has his tickets, but what does he expect the Pirates to do?
"I think we have a pretty good shot. I think it may be a low scoring game, but that's what they thought last night too," he said.
When the first pitch is thrown out at 8:07 p.m., there will be nearly 40,000 screaming fans inside PNC Park.
The only way to know for sure that your ticket is good is to buy it at the ticket office.
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