Woman scammed out of $500 trying to get Savannah Bananas tickets
The fun-loving, barnstorming baseball team played in front of a sold-out crowd at Fenway Park
The fun-loving, barnstorming baseball team played in front of a sold-out crowd at Fenway Park
The fun-loving, barnstorming baseball team played in front of a sold-out crowd at Fenway Park
A Massachusetts woman says she spent hundreds of dollars on tickets to Saturday's sold-out Savannah Bananas game at Fenway Park in Boston that wound up being counterfeits.
A Weymouth, Massachusetts, resident named Cheryl said that when she was searching for tickets, she encountered a woman on Facebook who was initially offering tickets at $50 each.
When Cheryl indicated she wanted up to eight seats, the Facebook user wrote: "My uncle works in the Bananas office, so it was super easy to get the tickets."
"We were looking forward to a fun night and going out, having dinner," Cheryl said.
Cheryl said she agreed to use Venmo as a payment option and wound up getting the eight tickets for $500.
The digital tickets Cheryl received had a QR code that looked legitimate, but she and her guests were unable to get into the Bananas game. The customer service team at Fenway Park then informed her that the QR codes on her tickets were bogus.
"She's the one that told me they're not real," Cheryl said. "How am I the idiot that gets scammed? I should know better."
Cheryl said she is now working with her bank and Venmo to get the $500 she spent on the fake tickets back.
Legitimate secondary ticket brokers like John Higgins, of Higs Tickets, suggest that fans get their tickets from a reputable company, especially during big events like the Bananas game at Fenway Park and NBA Finals games at TD Garden.
"Don't be going to Craigslist. There's a lot of scammers out there when the NBA Finals come in town," Higgins said. "Definitely use your credit card and buy from a reputable company."
Before the Boston Celtics and Dallas Mavericks faced off in the NBA Finals, the Boston Police Department issued a warning to fans about counterfeit tickets in the secondary market. They issued a similar warning before the Celtics and Boston Bruins started their playoff runs this spring.