Boston Police, feds renew warning of counterfeit tickets, merch for NBA Finals matchup

Boston police and federal authorities have renewed their warning to basketball fans to watch out for counterfeit tickets to NBA Finals games and knock-off merchandise.

The tied matchup between the Boston Celtics and the Golden State Warriors will resume with Game 3 Wednesday night at 9 p.m. at TD Garden in Boston. But buyers need to be beware, authorities have said once again.

“Fans who purchase tickets from a secondary source are taking a chance and do so at the buyer’s own risk,” the Boston Police Department wrote in a statement. “Officers want to proactively curb such activity and encourage buyers to only purchase from official vendors. Purchasing via other means creates the potential for possessing an invalid and/or counterfeit ticket.”

Ticketmaster, the official ticket provider linked to by the Celtics’ website, shows individual ticket prices at 2 p.m. Tuesday ranging from $734 in the nosebleed Balcony 311 section to the several thousands and up to $11,225 each for Loge seats near the court in the lower seating bowl area. A seat in the VIP Row A section was listed at $17,000.

“Criminals have been known to exploit fan enthusiasm during major sporting events by selling counterfeit jerseys, hats and other sports related merchandise to unsuspecting consumers,” said Jim Mancuso, director of the National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center, in a statement. “Fans who spend their hard-earned money can rest assured the IPR Center and its partners are working around the clock to ensure they are getting only genuine, high-quality officially licensed NBA merchandise.”

The IPR Center is a federal authority to combat global intellectual property theft and enforce trade laws, according to its website.

The Boston Police Department urges anyone who has information on the selling of counterfeit tickets contact them. Tipsters can do so anonymously by calling the CrimeStoppers Tip Line at 1-800-494-TIPS or by texting the word “TIP” to CRIME (27463).

from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/sKMWdh7