INDIANAPOLIS – If you are still looking to make it out to some of the All-Star events this weekend, organizers want to make sure you are getting the right tickets.
More than 50 official NBA events are happening this weekend, not to mention the countless pop-up events that are taking shape. Organizers want people to know there are plenty of things you can do to make sure your passes are legitimate.
As the Circle City welcomes some 125,000 basketball fans, tickets for some of the biggest events are sold out or close to it, which is why the Better Business Bureau wants to make sure fans do not mistakenly purchase fake tickets out of desperation.
“Anytime people are drawn to events, scammers are also drawn to those events because that means there’s a big pool of potential victims they can scam,” said Jennifer Adamany with the BBB.
This year’s All-Star weekend has 40 percent more ticketed events than any other all-star weekend, which is why Adamany encourages people to be very careful turning to third-party sites if tickets are sold out from the original vendor.
“Research those websites,” she said. “Look them up on BBB.org. Put in the name and ‘scam’ in your search engine to see what comes up. Go to the scam tracker to see if other people have reported something similar.”
If the price looks too good to be true, Adamany warns it most likely is.
“Are they asking you to do it through money wire, cryptocurrency, peer payment apps? Any way that it’s going to be really hard to retrieve that money back, you want to be extremely cautious,” she said.
If you do not get a chance to snag a ticket to an event this weekend, do not worry. There is still plenty of other stuff to do.
“There are incredible activations, events, public art, retail, art galleries that are popping up, DJs and music downtown,” described Danny Lopez, VP of External Affairs for Pacers Sports and Entertainment. “So, there’s going to be a lot going on downtown whether or not you’re coming to any of the events.”
Lopez said there are still several events that do have tickets remaining, including NBA Crossover. You can also get a look at the full list of scheduled events online and plan your own customizable itinerary.
If you think you have fallen victim to any scam this weekend, the Better Business Bureau encourages you to report it on the BBB Scam Tracker.
The BBB shared the following tips for fans headed to All-Star 2024:
- Try to only purchase tickets from the original vendor, but if they are sold out, research third-party sites before purchasing
- Verify a third-party site with the National Association of Ticket Brokers
- Be wary of purchasing tickets through money wire, cryptocurrency, peer payment apps and other methods that are difficult to track and receive your money back
- Report potential scams to the BBB if you think you have fallen victim
