Avoid counterfeit playoff tickets

For the first time in almost 30 years Missouri has two baseball teams in the playoffs. That means more people in Missouri will be looking for tickets.

It was two years ago several Mizzou fans fell victim to fraudulent tickets.

“You really want to use caution when you are purchasing tickets from someone you don’t know,” said Mike Harrison, with the Better Business Bureau.

For many it is worth spending hundreds of dollars on playoff tickets, but what if your ticket did not get you through the gate?

“We get people that will purchase their tickets online and they either don’t receive them or if they do they are counterfeit,” said Harrison.

Buying tickets online, on classified sites Harrison told ABC 17 News is always a risk.

For instance, one quick search on Craigslist and one can find several play off tickets for sale.

However, even just printing those tickets does not guarantee they are real.

“The way technology is today with the tickets it is very easy to print a counterfeit ticket, and it is very difficult to tell that it is fake,” said Harrison.

It often is not until you get to the gate and scan your ticket you realize it is fake.

The next move for dedicated fans would probably finding a scalper, which is legal in Missouri.

But how do you know if those tickets are real?

“If you buy a ticket from someone off the street actually take them with you to the gate and have them scan the ticket at that point to know if it is legitimate,” said Harrison.

A red flag is if they refuse to do that or if ticket prices are significantly less than market value said Harrison.

Nancy Gonder with the attorney general’s office said so far they have no reports of fake play off ticket sales.