BBB alert: Make sure you check sellers before you buy tickets online

Submitted by the Better Business Bureau 

Football is back, and fans are looking to score tickets for Buffalo Bills and college football games across upstate New York.

Many ticket resellers are looking to cash in on ticket sales from fans eager to be in the seats.

Better Business Bureau has tips for buying tickets:

•Purchase from the venue whenever possible. Many official ticket sales agents now offer secondary sales options, too. If you buy online, look for the lock symbol in the web address to indicate a secure purchasing system. Don’t click through emails or online ads; a common ticket scam trick is creating a web address similar to a well-known company.

•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 fake tickets. Look them up on BBB.org to see what others are saying.

•Be wary of advertisements. Advertisements for cheap tickets will often appear when you search for online tickets. Use good judgment; some of these ads could be ticket scams, especially if the prices are low.

•If you’re unsure, verify your tickets. Pay a visit to the stadium or venue where the event will be held. Present your ticket to customer service, and they can verify if it is legitimate and show you how to tell if it is fake.

•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, before purchase, the location of the seats on the tickets; 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. You have some recourse if the tickets are not as promised. Debit cards, wire transfers or cash transactions are risky; if the tickets are fraudulent, you won’t be able to get your money back.

You can also check to see if a reseller is a National Association of Ticket Brokers member. NATB members offer a 200% purchase guarantee on tickets. Look up the seller on VerifiedTicketSource.com to confirm you are buying from a NATB-member resale company.

Go to BBB.org to look up online marketplace business profiles, file a complaint, or write a customer review. Visit BBB Scam Tracker to research and report scams.