6 February 2023
TOPEKA (KSNT) – The Kansas Attorney General’s Office released some advice to avoid falling victim to scams on tickets and fan gear ahead of the Super Bowl.
“We are of course proud of the Kansas City Chief’s success this season and excited to see them once again in the Super Bowl,” Deputy Attorney General Fran Oleen said. “Chiefs fans should keep up their guard against scammers selling fake merchandise or bogus tickets, looking to make a quick buck off the team’s success.”
Buying tickets
Oleen said you should by tickets through a verified source. These would include the Kansas City Chief’s official website and TicketMaster, which is used by the National Football League. The NFL also has an official ticket resale marketplace called the NFL Ticket Exchange, which is also provided through TicketMaster.
Oleen said you should be wary of buying tickets from someone you don’t know through Craigslist, eBay or other similar sites. Never pay for tickets with cash, a wire transfer, gift cards or pre-paid money transfers. If you use a credit card and the tickets are actually fake, you can dispute the charge. If you are planning to use a mobile wallet or peer-to-peer payment service, be sure you understand the protections the service provides before finishing the transaction.
Phone scams should also be something that people need to watch out for, according to Oleen. Scammers may use numbers that look local and offer discounted tickets sold online. Make sure you are buying tickets through a verified source. Advertisements for tickets at low prices should always be considered with skepticism.
Check the tag
Oleen said all officially licensed NFL products will have the league’s shield on the tag. If the tag is absent on the merchandise, it could be counterfeit. Check to see where the product was manufactured and examine the quality of the logo on the item.
Door-to-door and ‘pop-up stand’ sales
Oleen said consumers have three days to cancel any purchase made for merchandise over $25, if the purchase is made at the consumer’s home or any location that is not the seller’s permanent place of business or local address. Kansas door-to-door statutes regulate sales from “pop-up” sidewalk stand and tents in parking lots, for example.
Kansas law requires the sales receipt to be in the same language as the sales presentation, be dated, show the name and address of the seller, be in a large legible font and explain the consumer’s right to cancel, according to Oleen. The seller must provide written and verbal notice of this right to cancel, along with the seller’s contact information at the time of the purchase. Consumers who cancel the transaction should do so by certified mail for tracking purposes. Sellers are required to refund the consumer’s money within 10 days of receiving cancellation.
If you think you have fallen victim to a Super Bowl-related scam, or any scam, you can contact local law enforcement or call the Kansas Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division at 800-432-2310. You can file a complaint online by clicking here.