KANSAS CITY, Mo. — It's an exciting time to be a Chiefs fan, and as AFC Championship tickets continue to go on sale, scammers are on the prowl.
Here's what you need to look out for when purchasing tickets:
Go to a verified website that offers ticket guarantee to ensure your order is backed. Look at websites such as chiefs.com, Tickets for Less, Ticketmaster or Stub Hub.
Be aware of last minute service fees.
"Some secondary market sellers will add on those last minute service fees right at check out," Tickets for Less Marketing Director, Jen Forrest said. "So if they are a per ticket service fee, that could add on a lot of money at the very end."
Forrest also suggests avoiding buying tickets on Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist, which are risky and often lead to scams.
The biggest red flag to look for is if someone tries to sell you a paper ticket.
"No paper tickets are valid because they are mobile entry," Forrest said. "Another thing would be screen shots that somebody that somebody might send you on your phone. There are rolling bar codes on mobile entry, so those screenshots will not be valid either."
According to StubHub, you should also hide the bar code if you want to show off your tickets on social media. Scammers can replicate images and scam someone else.
Ticketmaster recently launched its "SafeTix" encrypted ticket technology.
According to the company, it uses new technology by tying a digital ticket to your mobile phone through an encrypted barcode that automatically refreshes every few seconds.
It also includes NFC technology. The enhancements protect tickets from being screenshot or photocopied sold by scammers.
