Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - Sunday marks the halfway point of the 2024 season for the Buffalo Bills. As the team enters the second half of its campaign, local law enforcement is advising fans to exercise caution when purchasing tickets for the remaining home games on the secondary market.
Erie County Sheriff John Garcia warns Bills fans that scammers could be looking to take advantage of the excitement and anticipation of another run for the playoffs and Super Bowl LIX. He advises buyers to be vigilant as they search for tickets, and use common sense.
"Scammers are always coming up with new methods to defraud people, and this is just, yet, another trick they're using," said Erie County Sheriff's Lt. Jeremy Lehning with WBEN.
"Scammers know which events are in high demand, so a Bills game is really the perfect example of something they may try to cash in on," added Kat Schmeider from the Better Business Bureau's Upstate New York chapter.
When searching for tickets to any event, consumers are advised to utilize verified ticket partners. This provides buyers with confidence that their purchase is legitimate, and the product is authentic. For Bills home games, verified ticket partners are Ticketmaster and SeatGeek.
The Sheriff's Office also says it's a good idea to research who the verified ticket partners are for any given team or venue.
Another reputable local source to purchase tickets is VIPTIX.com, which has been in business in Western New York for more than three decades.
"We've been doing business here and nationally for over 30 years. I would say buy from a reputable source like VIPTIX, and make sure you know who you're buying from. That's really the key," said Nick Giammusso, owner of VIPTIX.com with WBEN.
Where anyone will want to be extremely careful buying tickets for the Bills or other events is on social media.
"If you're on, say, Facebook Marketplace, be very, very cognizant of who and where you're buying these tickets from. What ends up happening is you will get messages on Facebook Marketplace and numerous other sites where it'll be people saying, 'Look, there was a death in the family,' or, 'I have to leave town,' 'Something's come up. I've got to dump my tickets.' These are all most likely scams, and what people are doing is they're talking at your heartstrings a little bit, and people are making irrational decisions. Before you know it, you're out $500, $600, $700, $800 for tickets that don't exist," Lehning explained.
What scammers are trying to do, in this instance, is they're seeing if the scam is going to work.
"If it's working, they're going to keep moving forward with it. They'll tweak it a little bit, they'll come up with different scenarios, and they'll keep playing it over-and-over-and-over again," Lehning added. "It's very similar, in nature, to the individuals that are contacting random people and saying they're from the Erie County Sheriff's Department. We are not a department, we're in office, and these people are impersonating police officers and asking people to take care of warrants, take care of fines, etc., so on and so forth."
Schmeider agrees that the safest purchase option is to go directly through the Bills organization themselves. But there are some warning signs to pick up on, if you have any suspicions about a particular site.
"You should make sure you're on a legitimate website. Look closely at the URL: If something is spelled incorrectly, or there's awkward phrasing or a logo that doesn't look right, those are a couple of red flags that you shouldn't ignore," Schmeider said.
Meanwhile, Giammusso warns those looking for tickets on social media that scammers are actively searching for people to fall victim to their schemes.
"A common scam is on Facebook. If you're looking for tickets, and you post that you're looking for tickets, just the word 'tickets', a scammer can search the word 'tickets', and they can try to scam you instantly," he said. "They send a message that sounds like, 'We can't go to the game, these tickets are available.' That's probably 80%, 90% of the scams that are going on through Facebook."
Lehning says there has been, at least, one instance of a Bills fan falling victim to one of these ticket scams.
"As a matter of fact, our partners over at the Buffalo Bills did send us one scam in particular, and it revolves around that type of a scenario," he said. "And through the Buffalo Bills, we want to make sure that none of the fan base falls victim to these scams."
And while Schmeider hasn't heard of any ticket scams on her end lately, that doesn't mean they aren't out there. As the old adage goes: If a deal sounds too good to be true, it most likely is.
"If you're being offered, say for instance, a show like Taylor Swift, which is hugely in demand, if you're getting an offer for $500, it's a scam," Giammusso advised.
With respect to any game, concert or event, buyers should only purchase tickets from a reseller that discloses the terms of the transaction.
"You want to make sure the post, itself, has a means of reimbursement for the tickets you're purchasing. If you're purchasing tickets from a legitimate site, there's gonna be a reimbursement policy in place," Lehning noted. "If it's a scam, there's not going to be a reimbursement policy in place, and they're just going to move on to the next person."
Schmeider adds you should always use payment methods that come with protection.
"A credit card is your best bet, since most credit card companies will allow you to dispute fraudulent charges," Schmeider said. "Hopefully you don't run into any scams if you're looking to purchase tickets coming up, but if you do, we'd encourage you to share your experience with us. You can do so at bbb.org/ScamTracker. This helps us stay aware of trends that are going on, and then we can put alerts out to the public to let them know as well."
Giammusso also advises people to not use any apps like Cash App or Venmo when looking to purchase tickets. Like Schmeider, he says use a credit card whenever possible.
"Any professional will ask you for a credit card, as opposed to a cash app. The credit card companies will protect you if you're scammed," Giammusso said. "Unfortunately, you won't get into the game, but you won't have those financial losses, and have both not being able to go to the game and have that financial loss.
"People don't want to get scammed. They want to go out for a great evening, or they want to go see a game. When they get to the gate and their tickets are rejected, it's the worst feeling ever. Unfortunately, we hear from a lot of those fans after the fact, and it's just too late and it's heartbreaking for us."
So what happens if anyone feels they may have fallen victim to a ticket scam such as this or any other scam? If you utilized a credit card, Lehning advises to cancel your credit card, and make sure you contact police and more forward accordingly.
"You want to make sure that you contact your local law enforcement agency and, at least, get a complaint," Lehning advised. "If you've used your credit card, that complaint number that you received from local law enforcement is going to be the police report, and that's going to be utilized as your bank, as part of their internal investigation, and for potential reimbursement."
In addition, Schmeider recommends some changes to personal account information, depending how much information was shared.
"You'll want to start changing your passwords, depending on which accounts you use, and also let your bank or your credit card company know so you can start the process of trying to get your money back," she said.
Consumers with questions related to Bills tickets can reach out to the team’s ticket office at (877)-228-4257.