COLORADO SPRINGS — As the NBA Finals get underway, the Denver Nuggets are now playing for an NBA championship for the first time in team history. Wanting to be a part of these special moments, tickets to the finals will be expensive and tough to come by. It’s prompting fraud warnings from consumer experts.
Whether it’s memorabilia or tickets to these big games, these are areas Colorado’s attorney general tells News5 he is expecting fraudsters to be lurking right now. He says they’re looking for big money payouts for phony items, or for game tickets that never get delivered.
When it comes to tickets for any of the games at Ball Arena, they are all digital and have a QR code that gets scanned on your phone as you enter the arena.
So, there's a chance you may encounter a ticket seller online or through social media who promises to transfer you their tickets once you pay them, but Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser says before you ever agree to this deal you should think about how you’re paying and if the deal is too good to be true.
”I am thrilled about the Nuggets and I understand why so many people are asking can I get a ticket to the game? Here’s the critical point, be careful. There are a lot of people out there that are looking to scam you particularly on social media sites. When they don’t have actual tickets they are going to try to defraud you,” said Weiser.
Here are some steps you can take to stay safe if you’re looking to buy a ticket to the NBA Finals to see the Nuggets.
- Always pay with a credit card: It affords you some additional protections if you get ripped off… never transfer money, pay with a check, or prepaid gift cards.
- Verify the seats: Check the seating chart… make sure the seat exists and doesn’t have an obstructed view.
- Verify the ticket: once you get your hands on the ticket you can bring it to will call or customer service to make sure it’s real before trying to scan it for entry.
- Report any suspicious sellers or fraud you experience to help others avoid a costly mistake.
Also, watch for large amounts of autographed items and memorabilia to hit the market, especially if the Nuggets are able to win the championship. You may remember we saw this happen with the Avs and there are often items being sold for hundreds of dollars without any official authentication.This means these items could be fake and worth just a fraction of the asking price.
We’ll keep an eye on this and follow up. If you have questions or an experience you want to share you can reach out to our newsroom anytime.
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