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State AG Warns Of Ticket Scams Connected To NCAA Tournament

DETROIT (WWJ) - It's easy to get caught up in the excitement of March Madness with Michigan State University playing at Little Caesars Arena, but fans can't let their guard down when it comes to ticket scams.

The cautionary warning courtesy of the state attorney general's office, to make sure you are buying from a reputable website, not a fake.

Counterfeiting is also a common problem with online classified postings.

Be especially wary of tickets that are listed for sale "by owner," as these tickets are brokered by individuals, not official venues.

Physically inspect your tickets if you purchase them through a third-party source ... look for discrepancies, including text misspellings, official hologram omissions, and bar code irregularities.

NCAA: MSU Vs. Bucknell In Detroit; U-M Vs. Montana In Kansas

The NCAA website and link to purchase tickets for the sessions in Detroit start at a little over $110 (as of Monday morning) but there are any number of options for tickets and packages that run much more.

Officials say if you're getting a deal that seems too good to be true, it probably is.

The AG's office offering these tips as you move forward with the purchase of NCAA or any other major event purchase:

If you are unfamiliar with a ticket vendor, you can call the Attorney General's Consumer Protection Division at 1-877-765-8388 and ask if we have any complaints on file regarding that seller. Remember, however, that the absence of filed complaints does not guarantee a seller's legitimacy; it simply means that the attorney general's office has not received any complaints concerning the vendor.

Use credit. If you purchase tickets online, especially through an online auction site, it is recommended that you complete your transaction using a credit card. Using a credit card gives you the ability to dispute a charge for an event cancellation, or if you receive counterfeit tickets a venue refuses to honor. Choose sellers with histories of satisfied customers, and make sure the online bid amount is listed in U.S. dollars.

Shop securely. If a website begins with "https," the "s" indicates that the website is "secure" when you access the order page of the site where you are asked to enter your personal information.

Another indicator of a secure website is an image of a closed lock located at the bottom of your screen. Secure websites take precautions to ensure that others cannot see and copy the personal information you provide.

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