Authorities warn Pirates fans about fake tickets

PITTSBURGH — Police are warning Pirates fans about the possibility of fake tickets showing up around PNC Park during the teams’ pending playoff run.

Authorities told Target 11 investigator Rick Earle on Thursday that they suspected to see more counterfeit tickets Tuesday night when the Pirates hosted the Cincinnati Reds in the NL wild-card game, but they only received one report.

“It wouldn’t scan and upon further examination they informed this young man that the ticket was in fact bogus,” Pittsburgh Police Sgt. John Fisher said.

The man, who was in his 20s, told police he purchased the ticket with a face value of $33 in Section 108 from a scalper for $80.

“It reads, ‘National League tiebreaker number one vs. the Pittsburgh Pirates.’ That’s defective there because it would have read the opposing team,” Fisher said. “(No mention of the Reds) whatsoever. If you look further down, it said date and time to be determined. There’s a dead giveaway it was a fake ticket.

Fisher warned fans that purchasing from a scalper poses somewhat of a risk.

“We strongly recommend that you purchase from the Pirates ticket office or recognized sites, like Stub Hub. Avoid scalpers and deals that seem too good to be true,” Fisher said.

Police also told Earle they issued 12 citations Tuesday to scalpers for selling without a license or out of the resale zone.

WPXI