Bills fan from Houston out $200 after this playoff ticket scam

Nick Natario Image
Friday, January 3, 2020
Bills fan says she's out cash after playoff ticket scam
Here are the signs you should look for if you're still in the market to buy Texans playoff tickets.

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Fans looking to score Texans playoff tickets should be careful before clicking the purchase button

Julie Bach lives in Houston, but she and her girls are huge Buffalo Bills fans. When the Bills clinched to play a playoff game in Houston, Bach decided to buy two tickets, which never arrived.

"I was furious," Bach recalled. "I was furious."

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Earlier this week, she saw a post on social media. Someone posted in a group saying they couldn't go to the game, and they were looking to sell tickets. Bach decided to bite.

"She was going to sell me level 300 seats, and they were going to be $100 each," Bach recalled.

After wiring money, Bach said the seller claimed it didn't go through.

"I said, 'You received the money. I called my bank. Where are my tickets?' That's when pretty much they shut down," Bach recalled.

ABC13 contacted the Better Business Bureau in Houston. The BBB said it hasn't received any complaints lately, but offered some advice.

There are websites where you can learn past customer experiences, including BBBHouston.org and VerifiedTicketSource.com.

Also, buy from trusted vendors. Look for the lock symbol in the web address.

When searching for tickets, be wary of ads claiming to sell cheap seats too. If you're unsure, take the ticket to the stadium's will call, where they can verify if it's real.

And take Bach's advice: if it's too good to be true, it probably is.

"I just thought, 'What a great price,'" Bach explained. "And I jumped to the gun, and that's what happens."

Bach shared her story to social media, where another person she recognized agreed to sell her tickets without fees. Now, Bach will be inside NRG Stadium watching the Bills and Texans. But she worries other people may not be as lucky.

"If these people try to sell you tickets, do not buy it," Bach said.

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