Buyers Beware of Counterfeit Thunder Tickets

By Jacqueline Sit, NEWS 9

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Counterfeit Thunder game tickets have scammed basketball fans out of hundreds of dollars.

Jonathon Small said he saved up all season to buy a ticket to the playoffs, only to find out the hard way, the ticket was a fake.

"I was so very, very, very upset when I found out it was a scam," Small said. "I've worked hard all season to save money for a ticket and this is just scrupulous."

Small said the ticket looked authentic, included watermarks, the perforated edges and had details of both row and seat number.

"They actually tried to scan the ticket several times because they thought they were real as well, and later on I found out I wasn't the only person this happened to," Small said.

Better Business Bureau's Bob Manista said anybody can make any ticket look authentic.

"Anybody with the right to computer and scanner can counterfeit whatever you want," Manista said. "Anytime you got a major sporting event like this or any event that people are interested in attending, you're going to have unscrupulous people in the street corner trying to get you tickets."

Small said he will never run that same risk again and hopes to spread the word so other fans will not have to go through the same disappointment.

A Thunder spokesperson said they've seen at least a dozen cases of counterfeit tickets, but with such a high profile event, it's not unusual. They said if you do have a counterfeit ticket be sure to notify the ticket office.