PSA:Counterfeit Ticket Warning
Fair warning to the board, unsurprisingly the University ticket office is already receiving reports of counterfeit tickets. (WARNING mlive link incoming)
http://www.mlive.com/wolverines/index.ssf/2017/09/buyer_beware_counterfeit_ticke_1.html
I already had a seller try to scam me on craigslist, so I called the ticket office myself and here's a couple of things to look for:
- Obvious errors: Look for misspellings, incorrect logos or dates (duh.)
- Kickoff time: No real tickets will have a kickoff time listed.They will have "TBA".
- Barcode: While frequently left off of internet ticket pictures, the ticket office told me that the first three numbers of the barcode should be "398".
Hope this helps someone save some heartache next weekend. Go Blue.
September 26th, 2017 at 2:25 PM ^
September 26th, 2017 at 2:28 PM ^
September 26th, 2017 at 2:29 PM ^
I don't know man, I thought it was a thing.....is it a thing?
September 26th, 2017 at 2:36 PM ^
September 26th, 2017 at 3:09 PM ^
There is "Freep warning" and a complete ChatSports ban....but nothing else I've heard of.
September 26th, 2017 at 8:14 PM ^
What about articles about chatsports? Or articles about articles about chatsports?
September 26th, 2017 at 2:52 PM ^
We don't like Baumgardner because he's an MSU graduate who roots for Michigan to lose games. Now that he's at Freep (which no one reads or links to) it cleans that issue up nicely.
September 26th, 2017 at 3:08 PM ^
I didn't have an issue with him -- and it seemed like the writers here have a good relationship with him based on the way they talk on twitter -- but he works for the Freep now.
September 26th, 2017 at 3:36 PM ^
Let's be careful with the use of pronouns there. Not sure that's a widely held view.
September 26th, 2017 at 3:40 PM ^
September 26th, 2017 at 4:25 PM ^
I like Baumgardner. He is my favorite of the beat reporters to follow plus he posts some funny stuff on twitter. He's even better in person. I met the guy this spring when we both were covering some college basketball (I freelance sometimes) and he was awesome. Some of the best Harbaugh stories I've ever heard were with him.
September 26th, 2017 at 2:54 PM ^
The comments are toxic, but the articles aren't usually that terrible.
September 26th, 2017 at 3:04 PM ^
I'm not sure if it's a work issue or not, but the MLive pages just seem to take forever to load. I also usually get an error message asking me if I want to stop the long-running scripts. MLive is very frustrating to read (not the content but the interface).
September 26th, 2017 at 2:28 PM ^
Concur. Heard from people in various cities (Chicago, G Rapids) that this is becoming a bigger problem. Sporting events, concerts, etc.
I was looking for tickets last year to UM-ILL and hit a guy up on Craigslist. He said the tickets were in "Row B". I said that UM Stadium doesn't do alphabetic rows. Guy hung up on me.
September 26th, 2017 at 2:31 PM ^
September 26th, 2017 at 2:34 PM ^
i just logged in to ask, has that changed? The first game I ever attended was against EMU, we sat in row B. So unless that has changed, A and B are still the front rows.
September 26th, 2017 at 2:35 PM ^
Sat in Row 1 for AF. Can confirm, rows A and B are still there.
September 26th, 2017 at 2:49 PM ^
But in this instance you are wrong because there absolutely is a row B in Michigan Stadium. I sat in row 1 of Section 3 for the 2007 Penn State game and there were two rows of people in front of me labeled B and A.
September 26th, 2017 at 2:59 PM ^
Upvoted for naive hilarity.
September 26th, 2017 at 3:04 PM ^
September 26th, 2017 at 11:39 PM ^
September 26th, 2017 at 2:29 PM ^
Stubhub. Wanted to puke that i dropped $1550.00 for 4 tix! These do have time of 7:30 pm on them but the barcodes do start with 398.
thanks!
September 26th, 2017 at 2:54 PM ^
September 26th, 2017 at 2:30 PM ^
September 26th, 2017 at 2:52 PM ^
If somebody wants to figure out from the internet how to make fake tickets to a Michigan game, they can do so with or without this post.
September 26th, 2017 at 2:31 PM ^
Tickets online when the picture provided includes the barcode - scammers can use this barcode on resale sites and sell an ecopy. First persaon through the gates at the game gets the seat, so be cautious out there folks!
September 26th, 2017 at 2:40 PM ^
it might be counterfeit...
September 26th, 2017 at 2:36 PM ^
September 26th, 2017 at 2:42 PM ^
I use it for all of my ticket purchases and sales and have yet to have an issue. If you do your due diligence and trust your gut, it's fine.
September 26th, 2017 at 3:27 PM ^
Yeah, nothing is foolproof, but I've never had a problem buying or tried to scam someone when selling.
September 26th, 2017 at 2:43 PM ^
September 26th, 2017 at 2:47 PM ^
I had a guy try to see me some, the game time said 1:00 pm. I would post a picture if I knew how to.
September 26th, 2017 at 3:04 PM ^
That's exactly what this guy tried to sell me. Image below unless I fail the embed.
September 26th, 2017 at 3:56 PM ^
that looks just like the ones I was offered.
September 26th, 2017 at 3:06 PM ^
Leaving the Air Force game there were a couple people collecting used tickets for their "collection". It seemed very odd, but whatever.
Are these jokers able to somehow take used tickets and copy the barcodes or ticket numbers or something to create bogus tickets for future games?
September 26th, 2017 at 3:18 PM ^
I saw the ticket "collectors" outside the last time I went to a game - I googled it, but can't figure out what they want with a bucket full of tickets. Maybe they're going to make some kind of sports memorabilia?
September 26th, 2017 at 3:34 PM ^
In the 11 years I've had season tickets I've seen numerous people with these signs just outside the stadium after games, oftentimes with what looks like the exact same sign (different person person week to week but the same wording, same handwriting). My gut says they want them for something shady but evidently it hasn't gotten back to the University or AAPD if they are indeed up to no good because they're there after every game.
September 26th, 2017 at 4:35 PM ^
September 27th, 2017 at 11:11 AM ^
Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad
September 26th, 2017 at 3:16 PM ^
Any advice on how to avoid fake / already used tickets in person? Was thinking about scalping a ticket last minute outside the gate and don't want to get punked. Any other advice on scalping tickets outside the Big House would be much appreciated. Thanks & Go Blue!
September 26th, 2017 at 3:36 PM ^
I always have them go to the gate with me if I can. Never a guarantee that they'll do it, but their reaction tobeing asked is usually pretty revealing.
September 26th, 2017 at 3:53 PM ^
I had the correct spelling and everything. That final missing piece....398 on the barcode, is what I need to finish my printing. Gonna be a good week. Thanks!!
Seriously, to MgoMediocrity, sorry that you got scammed. Society in general is going down the shitter.
September 26th, 2017 at 5:15 PM ^
September 26th, 2017 at 9:31 PM ^
a person starting with actual legit original tickets, selling them via stubhub (which as I understand generates a new barcode for the "printable version" and ixnays the old barcode from the original tix), and then taking the originals to the street and selling those for cash.
It wouldn't be until the cash buyer got to the gates of the stadium and was denied entry for an illegit scan?
I dunno, with this fail mode stuck in my head I don't think I could ever buy a ticket off the street unless the seller let me take a pic of them + their driver's license (kidding of course but I don't think I'd ever buy a cash ticket off the street ever again)
September 26th, 2017 at 10:55 PM ^
Nothing. This exact scenario could happen.
September 26th, 2017 at 10:58 PM ^
(Prints more tickets, adheres to guidelines set above)