| When it comes to buying Broadway tickets on | | | | the first person to present one of these e-mails |
| the secondary ticket market in New York City, | | | | to be scanned will be able to get in - the others |
| there are a number of ticket scams that you | | | | will be denied. Because there is no way to ensure |
| should watch out for. Our report " Top 10 | | | | that e-mail confirmation tickets purchased from a |
| Broadway Ticket Scams" can help you avoid | | | | third party are unique, we would advise you |
| many of the pitfalls. This report applies mostly to | | | | never to buy these kinds of "tickets" unless it is |
| the top Broadway shows - as, the hotter the | | | | directly from a vendor like Ticketmaster or |
| show, the more ticket fraud is attempted. | | | | Telecharge. |
| Amazingly, stolen Broadway tickets didn't even | | | | 5. Partial View Broadway Tickets on eBay |
| make it into our top 10 list of deceptions because | | | | Buying Broadway tickets on eBay can have its |
| it was less prevalent than other more | | | | advantages, as tickets are obviously more |
| sophisticated hustles. Obviously you should still | | | | expensive than face value, but less than the price |
| watch out for stolen tickets though as they do | | | | from a ticket broker. However, many eBay |
| exist, as do sales with stolen credit cards. | | | | Broadway tickets are marked "Partial View" and |
| Remember, if you forgo the secondary ticket | | | | some eBay ticket sellers will try to scam you by |
| market altogether and buy your Broadway | | | | failing to mention that fact - resulting in you |
| tickets through the normal and direct channels | | | | bidding on the ticket as if it was a regular priced |
| (e.g. Theatre Box Office, TicketMaster or | | | | seat, when in fact it originally cost a lot less. Bear |
| Telecharge), they guarantee that your tickets will | | | | in mind, your Broadway experience may be quite |
| be legitimate and you will experience no problems. | | | | different in one of these seats, so before bidding |
| 1. Fake Tickets | | | | on eBay, you should ask the seller point blank if |
| The most egregious form of a Broadway ticket | | | | the ticket is Partial View (and hopefully he'll |
| scam is the fake ticket. Many ways exist to | | | | answer truthfully).. |
| create a fake ticket but a common way is to use | | | | 6. Ticket Resellers Advertise A Ticket For Sale |
| Adobe Photoshop to stick a good side of a ticket | | | | That They Don't Actually Own |
| (The Broadway show name,date and location) | | | | Ticket brokers often advertise a ticket for sale |
| with a bad side (A different barcode and seat | | | | that they don't actually have - They use a |
| number) and printing out what looks like a perfect | | | | "dummy" seat location and If they happen to |
| ticket on card stock. Only when you take the | | | | make the ticket sale, they will chase around to |
| ticket to the Broadway theatre and they scan it | | | | get a comparable ticket and hope that they |
| does the true crime reveal itself. The sale of | | | | priced the ticket high enough in the first place to |
| these type of tickets is often perpetrated on | | | | make a substantial profit on it. A good way to |
| Craiglist.org, which is a shame because we are big | | | | avoid this is to research the Broadway ticket |
| fans of this web site. More often than not, the | | | | secondary market and know who the reputable |
| criminal will ask for a check, cash, or money order | | | | ticket brokers are - but to be honest, even the |
| be sent to an address and they send the fake | | | | reputable ones do this too.. Another approach |
| ticket back (Sometimes the don't even bother | | | | would be to never accept a different location to |
| sending the fake ticket). Although, the advantage | | | | the one that was offered for sale. A third |
| of them sending a fake ticket back is that it buys | | | | approach is to check that regular tickets aren't |
| them more time before you find out that it was | | | | actually available. |
| a fraud. We obviously recommend against using | | | | 7. Tickets Bought With Stolen Credit Card And |
| Craiglist.org for Broadway ticket purchases. The | | | | Re-Sold |
| reason why Craiglist.org is the primary site for this | | | | Identity thieves buy Broadway tickets online with |
| kind of fraud is because the web site lacks any | | | | stolen credit cards and then re-sell the tickets. As |
| credibility controls for the seller (i.e. feedback, | | | | soon as the person whose credit card was stolen |
| sales history, etc.). Other sites like eBay and | | | | reports it, the illegally-made purchases are all |
| Stubhub do offer this as a minimum control, but | | | | canceled. So once the person who bought the |
| its still no guarantee against fraud or | | | | tickets on the secondary market gets to the |
| embarrassment at the door of the Broadway | | | | theater and has his tickets scanned, they come |
| show. | | | | up as invalid. It's an embarrassing situation for the |
| 2. Duplicated Tickets - Lost Tickets Scam | | | | ticket-buyer, who is out the money spent and |
| Because legitimate customers sometimes | | | | turned away from the show. |
| misplace their tickets prior to the performance, | | | | 8. Market Manipulation by Ticket Brokers |
| the box office or ticket agent is able to rectify | | | | Ticket brokers buy up Broadway theater tickets |
| the situation by issuing a new set of tickets for | | | | at the regular price, only to turn around and sell |
| the same seats. A criminal can use this policy to | | | | them to you at a much higher price. They often |
| his advantage by purchasing a pair of tickets, and | | | | use sophisticated technology (including buy-bots) |
| then later telling the ticket agent that he has | | | | to snap up all the ticket inventory before the |
| misplaced them so that a duplicate set of tickets | | | | average theatre-goer has an opportunity to |
| will be sent to him. This can be done a few times | | | | purchase them. Often, the ticket brokers use |
| over, with each set of tickets being sold to some | | | | American Express Gold Card privileges to get to |
| unsuspecting person, usually via a website like | | | | the good tickets before anyone else. The ticket |
| Craigslist. This means that when the ticket holders | | | | brokers aren't offering you much of a service, |
| turn up at the Broadway theater, the first person | | | | since you could have just as easily bought the |
| in with the duplicated ticket will be successful, but | | | | tickets for face value through Ticketmaster or |
| then each one after that will be denied - because | | | | Telecharge if the broker hadn't snagged them |
| only one set of tickets will actually work. | | | | first. Because Broadway Theatres are small, |
| 3. Duplicated Tickets - Ticket Broker Error | | | | ticket brokers are sometimes even able to |
| It is normal practice for ticket brokers to try to | | | | manipulate the Broadway ticket market by buying |
| sell the same Broadway ticket on many online | | | | all the ticket inventory, often charging outlandish |
| forums. If they actually sell the ticket in one place, | | | | prices for Orchestra seats on Saturday nights |
| they must remember to remove it from the | | | | near any holiday. They can charge whatever they |
| other forums - the problem is, sometimes they | | | | want, especially if they own all the tickets for the |
| forget. As a result, only the first person who | | | | show that night - the ticket brokers become the |
| turns up at the Broadway theatre with the | | | | "Market Maker" for that particular performance. |
| duplicate ticket will be successful, while each one | | | | There doesn't seem to be much you can do to |
| after will be denied. E-Tickets with an email | | | | counter this problem, other than choose a |
| confirmation make this situation even worse as | | | | different show or a different night - It has |
| now there is no original and the email can be | | | | become clear that top Broadway shows, |
| printed out numerous times. Obviously most | | | | non-premium Orchestra & Front Mezzanine |
| reputable ticket brokers will refund your purchase | | | | seats, on Saturday nights near any holiday is their |
| price when you tell them what happened, but | | | | filet mignon. |
| your night at a Broadway show is ruined (Not | | | | 9. Ticket Scalper or Ticket Broker Sells You Two |
| forgetting the embarrassment at the door too). | | | | Tickets, But The Seats Aren't Together |
| 4. Virtual Tickets (E-mail Confirmations) are | | | | Everybody knows that buying from a ticket |
| Replacing Physical Tickets | | | | scalper or ticket broker usually means you're |
| The success of the Internet has meant that the | | | | going to be paying much more than the face |
| days of "Broadway tickets in hand" are fast | | | | value of the ticket, but buying your Broadway |
| disappearing, with many Broadway tickets taking | | | | tickets from a random person on the street, or |
| the form of a confirmation e-mail printed out on a | | | | over the internet, carries other inherent risks you |
| sheet of paper. Now that Broadway theaters are | | | | might not know about it. One danger is that, if |
| scanning rather than tearing tickets, a physical | | | | you're not paying close attention, they may try |
| ticket isn't necessary - they just need the bar | | | | to sell you tickets to seats that aren't actually |
| code. As a result of this new technology, e-mail | | | | together. One clever scam involves selling you |
| tickets have become popular. Ticket vendors like | | | | tickets that are sequentially next to each other, |
| them because it is less work and expense for | | | | like seat 10 and 11, but most Broadway Theatres |
| them - no more mailing costs, and the customers | | | | have odds and evens on different sides of the |
| even provide their own paper to print out the | | | | theatre. |
| confirmation. It is preferable for the customer | | | | 10. Ticket Scalper Sells Ticket For The Wrong |
| too, because he no longer has to wonder if the | | | | Performance |
| tickets will arrive in the mail in time. The customer | | | | Sometimes scalpers will try to pull a fast one by |
| also gets to avoid the lengthy Will Call line at the | | | | selling you an unused ticket (most likely one that |
| theater box office, instead taking his e-mail | | | | they weren't able to unload earlier) for a past or |
| confirmation right up to the person scanning | | | | future performance of the Broadway show that |
| tickets. But though these "virtual tickets" offer | | | | you want to see. You have to be certain to |
| convenience all around, they also bring greater | | | | check both the date and time printed on the |
| opportunity for fraud. An unscrupulous person can | | | | ticket you're buying, or else you could find |
| buy tickets to a Broadway show, get the e-mail | | | | yourself with a matinee ticket for the evening |
| confirmation, and then print out and sell multiple | | | | show. By the time the usher points out that your |
| copies of it to unsuspecting ticket buyers. When | | | | ticket is no good and sends you away, you can |
| these people begin arriving at the theater, only | | | | bet that the scalper will be long gone. |