Be on the Lookout for Fake Tickets, Fake Sellers

The BBB and the Vikings are giving tips on how to guarantee your ticket will be valid

FARGO, ND — Minnesota Vikings fans are getting ready for the start of the season on Monday but are being asked to watch out for fake ticket sellers.

The Better Business Bureau says if you get tricked into purchasing a fake ticket, you’ll be asked to leave the stadium without getting to see the game.

The BBB and the Vikings are giving tips on how to guarantee your ticket will be valid.

How can you tell if you’re getting scammed when purchasing a ticket this football season?

“Make sure it’s endorsed by the team that you’re trying to go to,” said Michael Larson, the Assistant General Manager for the Red Hawks.

The Better Business Bureau has some tips on making sure your tickets are valid.

“At the beginning of every football season, we see tickets come out that aren’t real, you see them online,” said Heather Johnson with the BBB of North Dakota and Minnesota. “Most of the time, it’s either a really great price or really great seats. So we encourage people to take a good look at them. Make sure you’re buying from a reputable site.”

Choosing a trustworthy ticket broker is key.

“NFL.com/tickets is a reputable site, so that would be some place that if you really want to go to a Vikings game, that’s a good place to start for tickets,” Johnson said.

The hype of football season is growing by the minute.

If you’re going to wait until last minute to purchase your ticket outside of the stadium, be cautious.

“Ask the person selling the ticket if you can take a picture of them with their ID in their hand,” Johnson said.

If they refuse, move on.

The Red Hawks Assistant General Manager said all professional sporting events have technology to scan tickets.

“Immediately lets us know that that’s an active ticket, one that hasn’t been used yet, isn’t a duplicate,” Larson said.

They also have ways to stop people from duplicating print tickets.

“That only allows tickets to be printed one time so when you do get a print at home ticket, you’re only allowed to click that link one time to go to the print screen,” Larson said.

Although the stadiums may be able to spot a fake ticket with their technology, that hasn’t stopped scammers from making them.

“Reproduction tickets are so so good now so it’s really hard to tell,” Johnson said.

Other tips on the Vikings website are telling fans to check with the Vikings ticket office for tickets.

They ask people to be aware of the two types of authorized tickets and know that real tickets are not printed on TicketMaster hard stock.