CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Better Business Bureau is warning people of ticket scams ahead of the women’s NCAA Final Four Tournament, the eclipse and many more events happening this weekend. Tickets for the Women’s Final Four games are now upwards of $1,100.
Shaker Heights High School basketball player Aryn Harris is waiting just a little bit longer to buy her tickets in case prices drop.
“People don’t normally come to Cleveland, so the fact that March Madness Final Four is coming to Cleveland, I am just so excited,” said Harris. “Hopefully I can get a ticket.”
The Cleveland BBB warns as thousands of spectators are coming Cleveland for the women’s Final Four, the eclipse, and the Guardians home opener this week, the scammers will be here too.
“People really need to plan ahead, do your homework, and make sure you’re making the best decision that you can,” said Erica Dilworth, Director of Operations at Cleveland BBB.
Dilworth said for Women’s Final Four and Guardian home opener tickets, it’s impossible to know you were scammed until the tickets get scanned, but if the price seems low, the price is probably too good to be true. She says to purchase tickets from the venue, consider your source, whether it’s legitimate or an accredited reseller, and look up if the seller or broker is registered on BBB.org.
“Do some homework, if it’s a posting on a random social media site and you have no way to confirm this persons identity, you should probably be careful,” Dilworth added.
Also, make sure to read the refund policy, use a payment method that comes with protection, and be wary of false advertisements. Dilworth said parking scams for the eclipse Monday are already starting to pop up.
“That’s really what we are seeing a lot of and they are renting out their own side lot or renting our their own parking spot,” said Dilworth. “That’s going to be really tough to verify. Is it legitimate? How would you even know that.”
As the final four games tip off Friday and the excitement continues to buzz, Shaker Heights Sophomore Eleanor Miller said her tickets are golden.
“I am excited, I actually got tickets to the championship,” Miller said. “I was like, this is going to be awesome because I knew there was going to be a lot of hype around it.”
If you’ve spotted a scam, whether you lost your money or not, the BBB is asking you to report it. Click here to report a scam.
