Man Arrested in Boston Allegedly Selling Fake NBA Finals Tickets

Ticket prices for the NBA finals between the Boston Celtics and Golden Warriors have been so hot, team officials have warned fans to be vigilant about unauthorized sales channels and counterfeits. Just prior to Wednesday’s Game Three in Boston, a Connecticut man was arrested near TD Garden in possession of “forged or counterfeit tickets.”

According to the Associated Press, officers also learned that the suspect “was wanted on an outstanding warrant out of Wrentham District Court for forged admission ticket and unlicensed ticket resale,” the post said. He will be summoned to court at a future date, police said.

Prices for the series between Boston and Golden State have been sky-high from the jump, seeing an average of over $1,743 per ticket before the series even started, according to discount membership ticket marketplace Ticket Club. Tickets to tonight’s NBA Finals Game 4 in Boston are going for a “get-in” of $1,076 as of Friday morning on Ticket Club, which doesn’t charge members of the marketplace service or delivery fees. The least expensive pair is $1,114 each, and courtside VIP seats are an eye-watering $10,300, though the same seats are several hundred dollars more after fees when purchased through Ticketmaster.

The arrest is a reminder for consumers to avoid attempting to purchase tickets outside of legal and regulated ticket resale or primary market websites. Scammers attempt to advertise tickets in-person or on classified websites, often promising tickets that are far less expensive than the going rate of a red-hot event such as this year’s NBA finals. But consumers have no protection against fraud in these situations, whereas ticket resale marketplaces like Vivid Seats, Ticket Club, TicketNetwork, StubHub, and Gametime all offer consumer protections in the event that something goes wrong at the event.

Boston leads the series 2-1 going into tonight’s tilt in Boston, and the series will return to California for Game 5 on Monday, June 13. If Golden State wins either, Game 6 is sheduled for Boston on Thursday, June 16 and Game 7 would be back at Chase Center on Sunday, June 19 if it is necessary.

Links to marketplaces with tickets for remaining games are below: