Scammers may start targeting Rodeo Houston attendees

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- As you get ready to buy your Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo tickets, remember, scammers are out there hoping to get your cash.

Buying your tickets at the box office is the best way to make sure you are getting the real deal. But not everyone has time to make a trip to a venue. The next best place to buy is from the venue's own website. HLSR.com will start selling rodeo ticket packages January 17.

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"The tickets that will go on sale Saturday are largely $18-$21," said Joel Cowley, CEO of the Houston Livstock Show and Rodeo.

The Rodeo is changing its online ticket sales policy. Officials urge ticket buyers to set up a user profile within the ticket selling website right now. On Saturday you can log in one hour before the tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. and hang out in a virtual waiting room until the tickets become available.

Also for sales Saturday the 17th you will only be allowed to purchase tickets for one show at a time.

"People need to purchase their first choice of concerts first and then they can cycle back through the process again. And we do that everyone has a good chance to get the seats that they want," Cowley said.

Because the most popular shows sell out in seconds, a lot of would be concert goers will turn to the secondary ticket market. The best advice, deal with someone who has a physical store, not just an online presence.

"Go to a store that has a storefront. You can walk in, meet the people, see a seating map, actually and pick your seats to the event you want to go to," said Kayla Ramsey with Midtown Tickets.

The trouble spots for ticket buyers...Craigslist and Ebay. While you CAN score seats on the sites, dealing with someone you never met can open you up to scammers looking to pass along fakes tickets.

Ebay's PayPal system can help you get a refund, so do not agree to pay for tickets any other way.

"They may not be real. They're trying to find some way to go around it. It's just interesting to that at all. Don't meet somewhere. Meet in well lit area if you're going to do that," Ramsey said.

As for Craigslist, it's buyer beware and every year we find someone who bought concert tickets from a stranger only to find out those tickets were counterfeit.