Super Bowl is just around the corner! Everyone’s excited to see the San Francisco 49ers and the Baltimore Falcons go head to head with each other and win the prestigious Vince Lombardi trophy. It is important not to let your anticipation lead you into a Super Bowl scam victim. Scammers are also are as excited as you are, only to capitalize on the buzz the wrong way. Better Business Bureau is warning consumers to be on the lookout for counterfeit memorabilia and phony game tickets.

Counterfeit Memorabilia
There are three good reasons not to buy counterfeit goods: theft, quality and security. Counterfeit items are stolen goods. Someone has stolen your favorite team's name and logo for their own profit. Plus, counterfeit items are often more cheaply made, which means they won't last as long as the real thing. When purchasing counterfeit memorabilia online, you may face bigger problems.

Consumers across the country, in the past, have reported websites to BBBs that don't even have any merchandise to sell. They just want the consumer's credit card number and personal information to steal their identity or drain their bank account. To get official sports gear, buy directly from the team or league websites, or from official vendors at the stadium.
 
Ticket Scams
Between now and Super Bowl Sunday, thousands of tickets will be listed on classifieds websites, offering buyers little protection from dishonest sellers. BBB suggests making a game plan. Avoid scams by being skeptical of:

• Offers that sound "too good to be true"

• Pushy sales tactics

• Poor quality of merchandise

• Offers that require wire transfer of funds

So where can you turn? Choose reliable and verifiable sellers and resellers. Choose only reputable sites such as Ticketmaster and Stub Hub to guarantee your tickets' authenticity. Remember, last minute tickets will be expensive. And always check out a business first at www.bbb.org.

AllClear ID, an identity theft protection company suggested a few tips to avoid Super Bowl Scams:

• Don’t take an offer that sounds “too good to be true.” Tickets, especially last minute tickets, are going to be expensive.

• If the salesperson or website is using overly pushy sales tactics, or is offering products that are low in quality, then it’s likely to be a scam.

• Never perform a wire transfer. Once the transfer is made, it’s almost impossible to recoup your money or to trace the funds.

• Only make purchases from legitimate sites. Most of the time, tickets and products won’t be cheap, but you know you are dealing with a trustworthy vendor.

For our Ad-Aware customers in the US, this is a great time for you to turn on your Identity Protection. This Integration with ID Watchdog provides free credit report monitoring and alerting capabilities to notify users of any critical changes to their credit report that might be an early indicator of identity theft. You canmonitor your Social Security Number, address history and other personally identifiable information.