March Madness 2018 Ticket Scams: BBB Tips For Buying

DAVIDSON, NC -- With six teams in the big dance, March Madness is here in North Carolina. The NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament begins Tuesday, March 13. Duke, University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill, North Carolina Central Eagles, North Carolina State University, Davidson College and the University of North Carolina - Greensboro were selected Sunday to make their run for the championship game April 2 in San Antonio.

But with fan excitement to take in Madness fun comes the risk of scammed when attempting to buy game tickets, warns the Better Business Bureau.

Last year, the BBB Scam Tracker received more than 300 reports of ticket scams, the marketplace watchdog said.

SEE ALSO: NCAA Basketball March Madness 2018: Seeds For Duke, UNC, Davidson

Here are the BBB’s tips when buying March Madness game tickets:

• Purchase from the venue. Whenever possible, use the official ticket sales agent for the venue. Many now offer secondary sales options, as well.

• Consider your source. Know the difference between a professional ticket broker (a legitimate and accredited reseller), a ticket scalper (an unregulated and unlicensed ticket seller), and a scammer selling fraudulent tickets.

• Check out the seller/broker. Look them up on bbb.org to learn what other customers have experienced. Check to see if they are a member of the National Association of Ticket Brokers. NATB members offer a 200% purchase guarantee on tickets. Look up the seller on VerifiedTicketSource.com to confirm you are buying from an NATB-member resale company.

• Buy only from trusted vendors. Buy online only from vendors you know and trust. Look for the lock symbol in the web address to indicate a secure purchasing system. Don’t click through from emails or online ads; a common scam trick is to create a web address that is similar to a well-known company.

• Know the refund policy. You should only purchase tickets from a ticket reseller that provides clear details about the terms of the transaction. Sellers should disclose to the purchaser, prior to purchase, the location of the seats represented by the tickets, either orally or by reference to a seating chart; and, if the tickets are not available for immediate access to the purchaser, disclose when the tickets will ship or be available for pick up.

• Use payment methods that come with protection. Always use a credit card so you have some recourse if the tickets are not as promised. Debit cards, wire transfer or cash transactions are risky; if the tickets are fraudulent, you won’t be able to get your money back.

• Be wary of advertisements. When you search the web for online tickets, advertisements for cheap tickets will often appear. Use good judgment; some of these ads are going to be scams, especially if the prices are low.

• If you’re unsure, verify your tickets. Pay a visit to the arena where the event will be held. Present your ticket to “Will Call” (customer service) and they can verify if your ticket is legitimate.

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