NBA Finals

Watching the Heat at the NBA Finals? Here's How to Avoid Online Ticket Scams

With many fans hustling to secure tickets for the upcoming games, it's vital to be vigilant about where you purchase your tickets from.

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As the excitement for the NBA Finals is heating up, fans are eagerly vying to score tickets for the games.

The Miami Heat is undoubtedly hot this season, with tickets for the NBA Finals soaring in value — some fetching thousands of dollars apiece. However, with high demand comes the potential for scams.

With many fans hustling to secure tickets for the upcoming games, it's vital to be vigilant about where you purchase your tickets from. The Better Business Bureau (BBB) recommends Ticketmaster as your best option, the official ticketing partner of the Miami Heat.

When you search for Ticketmaster on Google, you should be mindful not to click on the first site that pops up. Quite often, these top links are ads, and they might not lead to the official Ticketmaster website.

For those resorting to resale sites, it's crucial to understand who you're buying from. Research the company, read reviews, and cross-verify the information on the BBB's website. This caution should extend to social media platforms too.

Cinthya Lavin from the Better Business Bureau provides an important cautionary note.

"So when you look at social media, anybody can take out an ad, anybody can really set up a website," she said.
And if it just looks like it can be using old logos, or it can have misspellings, or just using all these different things that it looks a little bit suspicious, it looks like it was put together in a rush — that is a big red flag when it comes to buying these tickets."

Sweepstakes should also be approached with caution. Sometimes they are just a ploy to gather your personal information.

One safety measure is to always use a credit card for payment, which provides certain resources if you run into problems. Be sure to get clear transaction details from the seller, including your seat location. Once you've secured your tickets, remember to download them to your digital wallet before the game, especially in case of spotty cell phone service at the venue.

For those looking to catch the Florida Panthers' games as well, Ticketmaster remains the safest option, as it is also the official ticketing partner of the National Hockey League.

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