BROADVIEW HEIGHTS, Ohio — The countdown to kickoff means time is running out to grab those gameday tickets, but the Better Business Bureau is warning that the Houston Texans aren’t the only thing Browns fans need to look out for — watch out for scams!
"Scammers take advantage of what's happening in the moment, because they know you're going to be looking for a ticket," Ericka Dilworth says. "They know you're going to try to get the best deal for that ticket."
Dilworth is the director of operations for the Better Business Bureau Serving Greater Cleveland. She warns scammers are paying attention, and will take advantage of all the excitement.
"If you plan to give money to someone, you have to do your homework," she told 3News. "You can't trust something at its face — whether it's on their website, whether it's on Craigslist, whether it's you got a call or you got a text, you have to do your homework."
If you're buying tickets, as always, watch out for deals that seem too good to be true. Dilworth recommends going to the source — in this case, the Browns' website — to buy or at least verify ticket prices. If it shows tickets for certain seats cost $200 but another website says $100, be skeptical. It might be a scam.
"They know you may not be able to afford the $200 ticket, but you might want to try to afford the $100 ticket," Dilworth explained.
You can also do some research on the company, such as verifying contact info. If the website was just created, that could also be a sign it’s a scam. To check the date, Dilworth recommends you go to Whois.com and enter the company's URL.
Some websites may have a BBB logo that says they are accredited. But even then, Dilworth says you should verify.
"You can't necessarily trust it just because it's on somebody's website," she added, "because they certainly could have pulled it from someplace else."
According to Dillworth, the BBB found tickets a re-seller called "Mark’s Tickets" was advertising on Craigslist. The ad showed the BBB-accredited business seal with an A+ rating, but a quick search on BBB.org shows Mark's Tickets is not accredited and currently has a C- rating.
3News reached out to Mark's Tickets on its website for comment, but had not heard back as of Thursday evening.
Dilworth says you should also pay attention to how the company or individual is asking you to pay for your tickets, as it could be a good indicator it's not legit. She warns to never wire money, write a check, or use prepaid debit cards or gift cards as payment.
"It's cash," she cautioned. "It’s as if you're giving cash and then they're running away with it. There is almost no way to get that back."