Ticket Scalpers and Counterfeit Tickets

WHAT TO KEEP IN MIND...

Rule #1 The Poor Man Never, Never, Ever Negotiates From His Car!

This is critical and this is step one in counterfeit prevention! The Poor Man is not in a rush when negotiating his ticket purchase. Never. While he is on his feet he can take his time, take a good look and get a good feel for what he is purchasing.

The quality of the paper stock is the first thing he looks for. Big Game, Big Concert and Big Fight tickets are not printed on cheap paper. They are printed on quality paper. Does the ticket feel thick enough? Is it too thick? Are the edges perforated (Most are perforated, but not all)? Is there a perforation line where the ticket stub is going to be torn off by the ticket person at the main gate? If he is familiar with a ticket from a previous event, does it feel similar? The quality of the paper stock should be The Poor Man’s first clue.

Next is the printing on the ticket. Is there printing on both sides of the ticket? Every ticket that I have ever seen has printing on both sides, front and back! The promoter or producer of the ticket will print on the back of it a, “NO REFUNDS OR EXCHANGES” notice to start with. This is usually followed by a “NOTICE TO TICKET HOLDER” that hereby grants admission to…etc. Hockey tickets will include a “WARNING!” regarding the danger of a flying puck, etc. There are sometimes even special offers and food discounts here as well. The one common denominator that ALL tickets have is that regardless of how small the LETTER FONTS are on the back of the ticket, the printing is RAZOR sharp! Let me repeat that. Regardless of how small the LETTER FONTS are on the back of the ticket, the printing is RAZOR sharp! If it isn’t sharp or the printing is smudged or blurred, don’t buy it!

If you have any doubts here move on! A professional Ticket Scalper will not have a problem with The Poor Man’s close examination of a ticket. A ticket forger will! I believe this is The Poor Man’s most important area to examine when he suspects a forgery.

The front of the ticket can be easily counterfeited in terms of color and appearance, usually because it contains larger images that can more easily be duplicated by today’s home computer and printer. Take a good look here.

Genuine tickets have vivid color and some have photos of athletes in action with a crystal clear image. Some forgeries look too good. By this I mean they are way too glossy, more so than a real ticket. Promoters and producers of events have gotten a lot more sophisticated by introducing holograms on the front of their tickets, much like some major credit card companies have with credit cards. Some tickets will have raised lettering on the surface, but not all. And still others have started to put a watermark logo on their tickets much like financial institutions have put on their cashier’s checks to reduce the possibilities of counterfeiting.

I mentioned earlier, when in doubt move on. The Poor Man can have all the tools he needs to determine a counterfeit ticket from a genuine ticket but sometimes the best tool in his possession is his own instincts. Trust them.

All of this information should help The Poor Man considerably in his effort to secure a bonafide ticket for The Big Game while reducing the risk of being ripped off.

Ticket Scalpers and Counterfeit Tickets

Counterfeit Tickets

Is it possible that The Poor Man could be duped into buying a counterfeit ticket when he wants to get into The Big Game or Concert? Anything is possible.

With the advent of the computer and the sophisticated printers that have evolved with it, counterfeit tickets have become more and more prevalent. And they are getting more and more difficult to spot. However, there are a few things that The Poor Man can keep in mind to limit the chances of getting taken advantage of by the ticket forger.

Counterfeit tickets are usually not passed along in the secondary marketplace by the professional Ticket Scalper. They are usually sold to unsuspecting fans by a one hit wonder. These are people that are immoral, thieves, people that want something for nothing or all of the above.

They are trying to capitalize on an event that promises to have a great demand and they will seldom be seen at the same venue more than once. They print up the bogus tickets and hope to sell them on a hit and run type of transaction. By the time their forgery is discovered at the gate entrance, they are long gone!

My hope is that you, The Poor Man, will begin following the first and most important rule outlined in Chapter 3 to prevent this from happening to you.

For More Information...go to www.thepoormansticket.com or
read my next post on July 1, 2008 "What are the rules and what to look for..."