Illinois AG: Madigan Alerts Fans To Guard Against Baseball Playoff Ticket Scams

October 3 , 2007 -- Chicago - Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan today urged fans purchasing tickets to the Chicago Cubs-Arizona Diamondbacks playoff series to exercise caution when making online payments.

“Baseball fans need to be wary of fraudulent ticket scams,” Madigan said. “During this exciting playoff series, there are con artists out there looking to exploit fans who just want to show support for their team.”

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The Attorney General's office has already learned of an instance in which a fan purchased tickets online only to discover that those seats didn't actually exist at the Arizona Diamondbacks' Chase Field. A call to the third-party vendor yielded an out-of-service number.

Madigan offered consumers the following tips regarding special-event ticket sales:

• If dealing with a ticket broker, determine whether the broker is a member of the National Association of Ticket Brokers (www.natb.org) and the Better Business Bureau (www.bbb.org). Both organizations have membership standards that promote ethical business conduct.

• If dealing with an Illinois ticket broker, consumers can contact the Illinois Secretary of State's Index Department in Springfield to ensure that the broker is properly registered. Illinois law requires ticket brokers meet certain requirements such as having a toll-free phone number and maintaining a consumer rebate fund.

• Avoid paying cash for tickets in person from a stranger in the event the tickets may be counterfeit. Consumers should deal only with a seller who accepts credit card payments or other secure payment methods. Consumers are urged not to buy tickets from an unsecured Web site. Consumers also should be wary of online escrow sites, especially those recommended by a seller. If an escrow site is suggested, the consumer should independently investigate whether the site is legitimate.

• Most importantly, consumers should never wire any payment to a seller for any reason. Buyers are sometimes told that they will receive special-event tickets after wiring money to an unknown seller. In many cases, the consumer will end up being a victim of fraud.

Consumers who believe that they have been cheated by an unscrupulous online-ticket vendor are urged to contact Madigan's Consumer Fraud Hotline at 1-800-386-5438 (TTY: 1-800-964-3013) to report the incident and file a consumer complaint. Consumers also can file a consumer complaint by downloading the complaint form at www.illinoisattorneygeneral.gov . In addition, Madigan said out-of-state consumers should report the occurrence to local authorities and their state Attorney General's Office.

Source: Illinois Attorney General