Wallingford, CT - January 25, 2012 – With the Super Bowl just around the corner, Connecticut Better Business Bureau is warning consumers to be on the alert for knock-off team jerseys, counterfeit memorabilia and phony game tickets.
Counterfeit items are generally poor quality, but that issue is minor compared with the other problems associated with scammers using the name of your favorite team to bring in money online.
Several BBBs around the country have reported websites that don’t even have any merchandise to sell. They just want your credit card number and other personal information in order to steal your identity or drain your bank account. The best way to ensure you are getting official sports gear is to buy directly from the team’s or league websites, or official vendors at the stadium.
Beware of Ticket ScamsTickets for the big game can tear a major hole in your wallet. There are thousands of Super Bowl tickets currently listed on Craig’sList, but it site offers no guarantees of any kind and does not require identification of its people who posting listings to the classified ad website. Buying tickets face to face isn’t necessarily a secure method either, as it’s become easier for scammers to make fake tickets that look authentic.
So where can you turn? Sites such as Stub Hub (
www.stubhub.com) guarantee your tickets’ authenticity. There were 2,800 tickets available as of Monday, starting at $2,450 apiece. Ticketmaster (
www.ticketexchangebyticketmaster.com) handles ticket exchanges for the NFL, and had over 800 tickets available as of the beginning of the week, starting at $2,864.
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Founded in 1928, Connecticut BBB is an unbiased non-profit organization that sets and upholds high standards for fair and honest business behavior. BBB helps consumers find and recommend businesses, brands and charities they can trust, offers objective advice and a wide range of education on topics affecting marketplace trust.
BBB also offers complaint and dispute resolution support for consumers and businesses. Today, 116 BBBs serve communities across the U.S. and Canada, evaluating and monitoring more than three million local and national businesses and charities. For more advice on finding companies and businesses, start your search with trust at www.bbb.org/.
