BBB alert: Season opens for baseball and concert ticket scams

The excitement for Chicago baseball home openers and a new season starting, as well as mega concerts provides scammers with months of lucrative opportunities to steal fans’ money, identity, credit card info and fun.

The Better Business Bureau anticipates extensive scam attempts because of 2024’s major concert lineup: the Rolling Stones; Billy Joel and Stevie Nicks; Pearl Jam; Kenny Chesney and Zac Brown Band; Pink and many more. Plus, Lollapalooza, Pitchfork, Riot Fest, Ravinia, Summerfest, and other venues are wildly popular. Many online platforms already are flooded with tickets for sale.

“Fans need to be on the lookout for impostor websites, phony tickets, and counterfeit merchandise,” says Steve Bernas, BBB president and CEO. “There now are many ways for consumers to find tickets online; social media, online marketplaces, ticket sellers, resellers, and unfortunately, some are rip-offs. You don’t want to show up at the gate after waiting months and paying hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars, only to find out your ticket is fake.”

“Even in the era of primarily electronic exchanges, the tickets and QR codes for entry may never be detected as fakes until you’re left standing at the gate,” Bernas notes. “Scammers not only take money from consumers; they’re taking money from legitimate businesses.”

Last year, BBB received hundreds of complaints on BBB Scam Tracker about ticket scams related to sporting events, concerts, theater, and other forms of entertainment. Hundreds more complaints were received from customers buying shoddy, counterfeit merchandise sold as official apparel.

“Online purchases rank the #3 riskiest scam type in the latest BBB Scam Tracker Risk Report,” Bernas says. “When entertainment is involved, people often are on a tight timeline, and emotions run high.”

Here are BBB tips for baseball and concert fans to help avoid money loss and identity theft:

• To reduce the risk of scams, always search ratings and reviews on BBB.org before you buy. Check out the seller/broker to learn what other customers have experienced.

• Buy tickets at the box office or from the venue’s official site and be careful because imitation sites often appear first in internet searches.

• Only deal with secure websites. These will begin with “HTTPS” and have a “lock” symbol on the address bar.

• Fake websites will offer tickets at low prices to trick people into entering their credit card information. Scammers can then use your credit card to purchase big-ticket items. And, you never receive your ticket.

• Use extra caution buying tickets sold on Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, or other free online listings. Scammers are skilled at providing realistic looking tickets and fake receipts.

• Counterfeit tickets with forged bar codes look very professional with a copy and pasted logo of the actual ticket company. You will be denied access when you arrive at the concert and the scammer is long gone.

• Another devious trick: Fraudsters will copy and paste an actual ticket and then “sell” it to many purchasers, all of whom get a surprise at the gate when they learn the ticket is not valid.

• 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 transfers, or cash transactions are money lost if the tickets are fraudulent.

• Know the refund policy. Only purchase tickets from a ticket reseller that provides clear details about the transaction terms. Know what happens when an event cancels or changes dates.

• Red flag: Scammers use high pressure to make fast sales knowing people are desperate to see the show.

• Be very alert to high transaction fees on the final page of your purchase. Many low-rated ticket sellers collect all your information before indicating sometimes exorbitant fees at the end of the transaction.

For official merchandise:

• Only buy merchandise at the concert venue, ballpark or authorized MLB vendors.

• Know the refund policy. You should only purchase Merchandise from someone who discloses the terms and conditions of refunds or exchanges.

• Be aware that unlicensed and unofficial clothing often are made from inferior materials that shrink and ink that might run and cause problems in the wash.

Look for the BBB Seal. If you've encountered a scam, report it to BBB Scam Tracker. Your report exposes scammer tactics. Sign up for BBB’s free consumer newsletter, BBB Edge, at BBB.org/ChicagoBuzz.