Are you ready for some fake football tickets?
The new NFL season kicked off Thursday night and a whole lot of purple people are sure to pour into Minneapolis on Monday night for the Vikings opener against Adrian Peterson's new team, the New Orleans Saints.
The start of the season always generates excitement – along with reminders about a hazard our football-loving parents didn't really have to worry about.
"Fake tickets are a fact of life for sports fans these days," says Susan Adams Lloyd, the president of the Better Business Bureau for Minnesota and North Dakota.
The Bureau says just being aware of the reality that scammers are out there trying to sell you bogus tickets is a good start to protecting yourself. They've also got some other tips.
- If you're getting tickets online, stick with brokers you know are legit. That means using the Vikings ticket office, Ticketmaster, or the NFL Ticket Exchange.
- If you do get them from a different site, look for the Better Business Bureau's seal on the page or look up the business to see how the BBB rated it.
- If you're buying from someone and they want you to wire them money, get out of that deal fast. That's one of the biggest red flags that a scam is in the works.
The BBB says if you buy your tickets from a scalper in front of the stadium, the risk of getting scammed is higher.
The Vikings themselves have a few suggestions about that, though.
- Before buying from a scalper, check to see if any walk-ups are available at the ticket window.
- Ask the scalper if you can take a picture of them holding their ID. Then you know who you're dealing with. If they won't agree to that, move along.
- And always look carefully at the tickets for anything that's not accurate. You can also use a stadium map to cross-check the seat and its original cost.
All that's left then is to use your real ticket to get into a real good game. And remember to shout "Skol!" a lot.
