Consumer Alert: Keep your defenses up when shopping for Super Bowl fan gear, ticket packages
TOPEKA – (February 6, 2023) – Kansas Deputy Attorney General Fran Oleen today advised consumers to protect themselves against purchasing counterfeit Super Bowl merchandise.
“We are of course proud of the Kansas City Chief’s success this season and excited to see them once again in the Super Bowl,” Oleen said. “Chiefs fans should keep up their guard against scammers selling fake merchandise or bogus tickets, looking to make a quick buck off the team’s success.”
Oleen offered the following tips for making a purchase related to the Super Bowl:
Buying tickets: Purchase tickets through a verified source. Consumers can purchase guaranteed tickets and travel packages through the Kansas City Chiefs’ official website. Additionally, the National Football League (NFL) uses the platform TicketMaster, and guarantees the authenticity of the tickets sold through that retailer, as well. The NFL also provides an official ticket resale marketplace called the NFL Ticket Exchange, also provided through TicketMaster.
Be wary of purchasing tickets from someone you don’t know on Craigslist, eBay or other similar person-to-person marketplace or auction sites. Do not pay for tickets with cash, wire transfer, gift cards or pre-paid money transfer, as these payment methods are difficult to trace or recover. If you pay by credit card and the tickets turn out to be fake, you can dispute the charge. If you plan on using a mobile wallet or peer-to-peer payment service, be sure you understand the protections the service provides before making a transaction. Beware of phone scams. Scammers may use numbers that appear local, offering discounted tickets sold online. Be sure to purchase tickets through a verified source. As always, be wary of advertisements with very low prices.
Check the tag. All officially licensed NFL products will bear the league’s shield on the tag. If the tag on the merchandise doesn’t have the shield, it may be counterfeit. A good indication of official merchandise includes where it is manufactured, and the quality of the logo on the item.
Door-to-door and ‘pop-up stand’ sales. According to Kansas law, consumers have three days to cancel any purchase made for merchandise over $25, if the purchase is made at the consumer’s home, or any location that is not the seller’s permanent place of business or local address. Kansas door-to-door statutes regulate sales, for example, from “pop-up” sidewalk stands and tents in parking lots. Kansas law requires the sales receipt to be in the same language as the sales presentation, be dated, show the name and address of the seller, be in a large legible font, and explain the consumer’s right to cancel. The seller must provide written and verbal notice of this right to cancel, along with the seller’s contact information, at the time of the purchase. Consumers who cancel the transaction should do so by certified mail for tracking purposes. Sellers are required to refund the consumer’s money within 10 days of receiving the cancellation.
Consumers who believe they may have fallen victim to a Super Bowl-related scam, or any scam, should contact their local law enforcement, or call the Kansas Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division at (800) 432-2310. Complaints may also be filed online at www.InYourCornerKansas.org.
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