Buyer Beware: Eagles fans search for reputable playoff tickets

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- The Philadelphia Eagles' playoff game is 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, and if you want to pay third-party prices, there are still plenty of tickets available.

Donna Scott of Fox Chase said, "When I was navigating online, the prices started as low as $200 and went up to $1000."

Weary of being scammed, Donna has scoured the internet for weeks, hunting for Eagles playoff tickets for her son and still hasn't pulled the trigger.

"I didn't want him to go all the way down there, spend the money and not be able to get in," She said.

Some Eagles fans were already scammed by one man last month. He sold fake tickets to a woman who intended to gift them to her children on Christmas.

This Saturday's playoff game against the Atlanta Falcons is one of the most prized tickets in the city.

Paul Conway of Wanamaker Tickets said, "There's about 2,000 tickets left in the marketplace, probably 500 standing room, the rest being 200 and 100 level seats."

While the game technically sold out last week in one minute, thousands of ticket holders are pawning them off on various online websites.

The Better Business Bureau is warning buyers to beware.

Last year, of the 5,200 reports the BBB received, 300 dealt with ticket schemes.

Cameron Papp of StubHub said, "Never purchase tickets off the street or pay cash. These playoff tickets are too much at a premium to risk it."

Kevin Jones of Center City said, "We're going to go through a ticket broker like we usually do."

While most tickets will sell closer to game day, if not day of, some fans are still on the fence.

Dan Haggerty of Warrington said, "If Carson was there, I'd definitely be thinking about buying a ticket, but I'm going to make my decision closer to game time."

The Better Business Bureau is warning Eagles fans about counterfeit tickets and merchandise during the teams' playoff run.

The BBB offered the following tips to avoid becoming victims of these schemes:

Purchase tickets from the venue. Whenever possible, use the official ticket sales agent for the venue.

Check out the seller. Look them up on bbb.org to learn what other customers have experienced and to confirm a company's BBB rating and accreditation status. Check to see if ticket brokers are a member of the National Association of Ticket Brokers

Buy only from trusted vendors using secure methods. A security-enabled web page will begin with "https," instead of just "http" and will have a lock symbol that displays as green to verify security.

Know the refund/return policy. Only purchase tickets and merchandise from sellers that provide clear details about the terms of the transaction and specific policies and time frames regarding how to make returns and obtain full refunds.

Beware of below-market pricing. Fake websites advertise cheap prices for highly sought-after tickets and "officially licensed items" such as jerseys as a way to attract and encourage fans to make a quick purchase and provide sensitive information.

Confirm contact information. Identify the business name, physical address, phone number and email address. If no contact information or verifiable business information is listed, it's a red flag.

To report a scheme, visit BBB Scam Tracker.

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