Looking for Pirates playoff tickets? Know your seller to avoid...

PITTSBURGH — The Buccos are back in the playoffs for the second consecutive year, and with just one guaranteed playoff game, fans of the black and gold are looking to score tickets to Wednesday’s Wild Card game in hopes of cheering the Pirates to victory and onto the next round.

Amidst all of the excitement, the Better Business Bureau is warning fans to beware of potential ticket scams orchestrated by bogus sellers trying to cash in on the team’s success.

“BBB processes thousands of complaints each year related to sports and entertainment events across the country,” said Warren King, president of Better Business Bureau Serving Western PA. “Fans should take time and do their research on the company or seller before making any large purchase including tickets, apparel and even parking passes.”

The opportunity for sports fans to be tricked by bogus ticket sellers occurs most often when people buy tickets from individuals outside of the stadium, on the street or through online classified ads and bulletin boards.

BBB offers the following advice for fans seeking tickets:

Be careful buying tickets from someone on the street. When you get to the gate and find out your tickets aren't real, the seller will be long gone.
Know the difference between a ticket broker (legitimate and accredited reseller) and a ticket scalper (unregulated and unlicensed ticket seller).
Check the ticket broker's refund policy. Only buy from a ticket reseller that provides clear details about the terms of the transaction.
Before buying from an online ticket broker, look for BBB's Accredited Business seal on the website and click on it to make sure it is real. BBB's dynamic seal will take you directly to a company's BBB Business Review, where you can read about the company's record for responding to complaints. Make sure the website has a secure payment processing system, usually denoted by "https://" at the start of its website address or URL or a small closed lock icon at the bottom of the screen.
If you buy tickets through an online auction site, choose a seller with a long history of satisfied customers. Scammers can hijack old accounts, so make sure the seller has recently sold other tickets.
Ticket buyers also should be wary of sellers who try to lure buyers from a legitimate site to another site for a "private" transaction. Scammers often want to conduct their business on sites with names that mimic well-known companies, but actually are fakes.
If you are buying tickets through an online classified ad site, never pay the seller by wire transfer. You will have no way to get your money back if the tickets do not arrive or are counterfeit.
Always use a credit card so you have some recourse; do not use cash.

If you believe you have purchased a counterfeit ticket, immediately report it to the National Association of Ticket Brokers (NATB) hotline at 630-510-4594 and file a complaint with BBB at bbb.org.