Beware of Super Bowl Scams

With the Super Bowl just around the corner, the Better Business Bureau of Minnesota and North Dakota (BBB) is warning consumers to be on the alert for knock-off team jerseys, counterfeit memorabilia and phony game tickets.

“There are many good reasons not to buy counterfeit goods, but it boils down largely to issues of theft and quality,” says Dana Badgerow, president and CEO of the BBB. “Counterfeit items are essentially stolen goods. And counterfeit items are almost always more cheaply made, which means they won’t last as long as officially licensed merchandise.”

Consumers trying to buy Super Bowl memorabilia online may have an even bigger problem. Some BBBs have received reports of websites that don’t even have merchandise to sell you; they just want your credit card number and personal information in order to defraud you or steal your identity. The best way to ensure you are getting official sports gear is to buy directly from the team or league websites, or from official vendors at the stadium.

Tickets for the big game can be an even bigger rip-off. Though a number of Super Bowl tickets are currently posted for sale on craigslist, the site offers no guarantees and does not require identification of its sellers. Buying in person isn’t always an improvement, as it’s gotten easier for scammers to make fake tickets that look real.

So where can you turn? Stub Hub (www.stubhub.com) guarantees the authenticity of tickets, and Ticketmaster (www.ticketexchangebyticketmaster.com) handles ticket exchanges for the NFL.

In general, people can avoid scams by being skeptical of:

• Offers that sound “too good to be true”
• Pushy sales tactics
• Low-quality merchandise
• Any offers that require wire transfer of funds

And always check out a business first at www.bbb.org/search.

For more consumer tips you can trust, visit www.bbb.org/news. To sign up to receive our Scam Alerts, visit BBB Scam Source at www.bbb.org/scam.

The mission of the Better Business Bureau is to be the leader in building marketplace trust by promoting, through self-regulation, the highest standards of business ethics and conduct, and to instill confidence in responsible businesses through programs of education and action that inform, assist and protect the general public. Our hours of operation are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Contact the BBB at www.bbb.org or 651-699-1111, toll-free at 1-800-646-6222. Visit the BBB’s Centennial website at bbbis100.org.