As I’ve said in the past, any time a lot of people are parting with significant amounts of money, you can expect scammers to be out in force, and sadly for football fans, Super Bowl LIX is no exception.
The Super Bowl is without a doubt the biggest American sporting event every year, with the game regularly attracting upward of 70,000 fans who can expect to pay thousands of dollars for each ticket. Reports for this year’s show — set to emanate from the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans on Sunday — indicate that prices are a bit lower than in years past, with some experts chalking it up to muted fan excitement for another Chiefs-Eagles rematch.
Despite that, the game is still expected to move a whole lot more tickets in the next few days, and officials are warning eager fans about scams targeting those looking to buy tickets.
Read on for everything you need to know about these scams. For more Super Bowl coverage, check out some big last-minute deals on TVs and find out about the tech tricks that will help you get the most out of your big game party.
Who are these Super Bowl LIX scammers targeting?
Andrew Bailey, the attorney general for the Kansas City Chiefs’ home state of Missouri, warned fans to be on the lookout for ticket sale scams, which will generally aim to either make off with your personal information, take your money and run, or, of course, both. Dave Sunday, attorney general for the Philadelphia Eagles’ home state of Pennsylvania, issued a similar warning, but fans from any state looking to attend the game should take heed.
“With the Chiefs heading to the Super Bowl, I want all Missourians to stay sharp when purchasing their tickets and avoid falling victim to scams,” Bailey said in a statement. “We are here to ensure that anyone who tries to exploit our fans will be held accountable. If you encounter an issue, know that the Attorney General’s Office is here to help.”
How can I avoid Super Bowl ticket scams?
The one thing you should be doing above all else is only buying tickets from a reputable seller or an authorized reseller. If you’ve found a deal from a place you’ve never heard of before, it might actually be too good to be true. You can also try looking up the vendor on the Better Business Bureau websiteto see if there are any complaints against it.
To help prevent fans from falling victim to fraud, the NFL has also partnered with TicketMaster, Seat Geeks and Sports Illustrated Tickets to create the NFL Ticket Network. With these vendors, you can expect legitimacy at all steps in the process and accountability. These vendors are also authorized ticket resellers. It’s best to go straight to one of these vendors — expensive as they can often be — as using a search engine like Google to hunt for deals can lead you into the den of a scammer.
Another important step you can take to avoid a ticket scam, or potentially recover from one, is to always use a credit card, which can offer fraud protections and help you keep track of transactions. Other payment methods, including cash, checks, debit, Venmo or Cash App are discouraged.
What other sorts of Super Bowl scams should I be aware of?
In addition to scammers targeting ticket buyers, merch buyers should beware as they descend upon New Orleans. On Wednesday, Homeland Security Investigations announced that its Operation Team Player program would be in effect in the Big Easy during Super Bowl weekend to seize counterfeit merchandise, and it warned fans to be on the lookout. Since 2013, the program has seized $455 million worth of fake merch.
The steps you can take to avoid getting stuck with a “Kansas City Chefs” jersey are largely the same as those that’ll help you avoid ticket scams: stick to well-known and reputable vendors; do your purchases with credit cards; and avoid search engine rabbit holes looking for too-good-to-be-true deals. Homeland Security also suggested avoiding items with signs of shoddy counterfeit production including “sloppy stitching, missing security labels, or irregular markings on apparel.”
For more, see how the new Apple Invites can help you plan your Super Bowl party.