The excitement of seeing one’s team do battle for the top prize in their respective leagues can be intoxicating. For as long as tickets have been sold, fans have been willing to pay top dollar to see their heroes in action, and 2017 is no different – but it’s best to always remember to deal with legitimate businesses if you’re looking to score those finals tickets, as one Nashville Predators fan found out to his chagrin.

Sean Weems is out a cool $1,000, according to WKRN in Nashville, Tennessee, after purchasing four of what turned out to be fake tickets off Craigslist for Monday’s Predators Eastern Conference Finals date.

“I realized that the tickets that he had advertised on Craigslist weren’t, they were in a different section than what he actually gave me,” Weems told WKRN. “I felt like then I had pretty much been scammed, and then we tried to see if the tickets would work, and of course they didn’t work.”

Police are investigating the crime, but given the paucity of information available – they have a description and a presumably fake name – it is a long shot Weems will be able to recoup his investment.

Stories like this are rampant throughout the world of premium events, where scammers need only a little convincing photoshop work and a gullible buyer to fleece folks looking for a way to see their favorite team, singer, or play. They should serve as a solid reminder that you should always purchase from either the original proprietor of the event, or a legit secondary market. With guarantees that cover buyers in the event of event cancellations and strict fraud protection guidelines, websites served by TicketNetwork and other similar secondary marketplaces are the only truly safe place to shop.

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