by Barbara Nevins Taylor

Take a look at Craigslist and you’ll find plenty of tickets for NCAA games. The big question is, are they real?

Fake Tickets

I did a story about a woman who bought tickets to a Lady Gaga concert from a Craigslist seller. Her brother met the guy, paid the money and walked away with fakes. We helped out and got in touch with Lady Gaga’s team to get her real tickets. So there was a happy ending. That doesn’t always happen.

BBB Advice

But the lesson here is clear. Many dishonest people claim to sell tickets to events like the NCAA. The Better Business Bureau’s St. Louis president Michelle L. Corey says, “The BBB advises fans to check out offers with the BBB before plunking down money or giving credit card numbers.”

Remember Craigslist does not offer guarantees. Sellers don’t have to qualify or prove that they are real before they list tickets.  If a ticket is fake, you’re stuck.

NCAA Info

Official NCAA ticket information is available at http://www.ncaa.com/tickets.

Ticket Resellers

StubHub, has a reliable reputation as a ticket reseller and it has NCAA tickets. The BBB websites in every region publish lists of reliable ticket sales people. The BBB sites are a little hard to navigate. But try their Business Reviews, or sections that say “Check Out a Charity or Business.” You have to enter the search term “Ticket Sales.” And that should turn up ticket sellers who get the BBB seal of approval.