Police charge N.Y. man with selling counterfeit Pats-Steelers tickets

Police arrested a New York City man they say was selling counterfeit tickets for Sunday's Patriots-Steelers online.

Reginald Sinclair Slocum, 27, is charged with forgery, counterfeiting, theft by deception and criminal use of communication.

Police said the victim contacted a ticket seller on Craigslist and agreed to meet him Downtown on Thursday. After receiving the tickets, the victim thought they looked suspicious and called Heinz Field to validate them.

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Officials determined the barcode on the tickets did not match the seats, and the victim was told they were counterfeit.

The victim called police, who arrested Slocum.

The alleged scheme matches other reports police have gotten about counterfeit tickets being sold online.

Fans should be cautious when buying tickets online from unknown people, police said, and should use reputable sites like StubHub, SeatGeek or the Steelers website.

"You have to be smart these days," said Steeler fan John Fitacaro outside Heinz Field. "It's out there, unfortunately. You gotta be smart about what you're doing, who you're working with. So, unfortunately, just gotta be aware of it."

Cox Media Group