Super Bowl Ticket Scams

The FBI has received reports of fraudulent ticket sales for Super Bowl XLI at Dolphin Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, on February 4, 2007. The fraudulent selling of tickets for major events is a continuing epidemic. Previous scams have involved tickets being advertised at well-known online auction and classified advertisement web sites. Interested buyers are instructed to use a wire transfer payment service to send the money quickly in order to secure the tickets. Current scams are using fraudulent escrow services to register and then directing the victim to wire the payment. Some solicitations are sent from individuals who claim to be traveling outside the U.S., stating they are now unable to use their tickets due to this travel. This explanation could be an attempt to ensure that the requested funds are sent outside the U.S. Our advice? Be very cautious when purchasing tickets from any source not authorized by the event sponsor. Also be aware of anti-scalping laws as well as the prospect of receiving counterfeit tickets. We urge you not to send cash payments and to use caution when using wire transfer services to pay for tickets, particularly to recipients outside the U.S. If you have been impacted by this scam, please notify the IC3 by filing a complaint at www.ic3.gov.