Criminals find new target for fake tickets scam

HOUSTON

Even after the disappointment in Massachusetts, Texans tickets are hot items. But if you are not careful, you could end up with fakes.

Fake tickets are out there. Just last month we told you about Elizabeth Green and the fake Justin Bieber tickets she bought for her daughter.

Experts tell us Texans tickets are the next venue in the sights of scammers, and it's already happened.

"It happens every game day. We do have folks who show up with bogus tickets and, unfortunately, they get turned away," said John Schriever, Vice President of Ticketing and Event Management for the Texans.

Schriever says there are three worry-free places to buy tickets.

"Someone you know, through Ticketmaster, or the NFL Ticket Exchange -- past that, it is really buyer beware," he said.

The NFL Ticket Exchange hooks up ticket holders with buyers.

"All of the tickets have been verified by Ticketmaster on the back end to ensure authenticity of every ticket that is sold in the system. It is a great way to know that you are good to go before you get to the gate," said Julia Vander Ploeg with Ticketmaster.

The Texans games are sellouts but fans can get their hands on tickets.

Some season ticket holders are currently selling off their tickets to pay for playoff packages. You can find plenty on websites like Craigslist, but experts say be careful.

"You have no way to know if that ticket is real or not, and that is the type of place that a scammer is going to prey on people because there are no guarantees or verification that go with it," Vander Ploeg said.

When it comes to spotting a fake, experts say the fakes look so much like the real thing, they are hard to spot. And while those who sell fakes rarely are ever found, the guy who sold the fake Justin Bieber tickets did end up in jail.

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