The FBI is warning football fans of buying fraudulent tickets for Sunday's game between the Indianapolis Colts and the Chicago Bears in Miami.
The agency has received reports of illegitimate ticket sales for Super Bowl XLI at Dolphin Stadium on Sunday and is calling such sales for major events a "continuing epidemic."
Previous scams have involved tickets being advertised at well-known online auction and classified advertisement Web sites, the FBI said. In these scams, interested buyers are told to use a wire transfer payment service to send money quickly to secure the tickets. Current scams are using fraudulent escrow services to register, then directing the victim to wire the payment, according to federal law enforcement.
Some solicitations are sent from individuals who say they are traveling outside the United States and that they now can't use their tickets. The FBI says this could be an attempt to make sure the requested funds are sent outside the United States.
The FBI is advising people to be cautious when purchasing tickets from any source not authorized by the event sponsor — in this case, the National Football League. It also instructs people to be aware of anti-scalping laws and of the chance you may receive counterfeit tickets.
The FBI is urging consumers not to send cash payments and to use caution when using wire transfer services to pay for tickets, particularly to recipients outside the United States.
Anyone who believes they have been a victim of any of these scams should file a complaint at www.ic3.gov.
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