COLUMBIA, MO (KCTV) -
University of Missouri police officers are warning Tiger fans to be wary of purchasing tickets for Mizzou football games from third-party vendors.
Following the football game against Georgia last weekend, the University of Missouri Police Department received several reports of fraudulent tickets.
The fake tickets are very difficult to identify, even when compared to a legitimate ticket, MUPD Capt. Brian Weimer said.
"They look real, they'll come up to the gate and the scanners of course realize that they're not the correct ticket because the bar codes don't work," he said.
Authorities said to ensure that fans have purchased a real ticket, they should only buy through the Mizzou ticket office or online through mutigers.com, avoiding online auction sites or buying tickets from strangers.
"These fake tickets look as real as any produced by Mizzou," Weimer said in a written statement. "The fake tickets even had the correct disclaimers on the back sides."
Weimer said it is also possible that the individual selling the ticket does not know it is fake.
"He or she might have bought the fake ticket and is trying to turn it around for a quick profit along with legitimate tickets. Unfortunately, the victim might not realize it's a fake ticket until it's scanned for entry into the game," he said.
At the Georgia game, ticket scanners recorded more than 400 "missed scans," which could indicate fraudulent tickets, officials said.
Copyright 2012 KCTV (Meredith Corp.) All rights reserved.
MU Police officers are warning Tiger fans to be wary of purchasing tickets for Mizzou football games from a third-party vendor. The fake tickets (right) are very difficult to identify, even when compared to a legitimate ticket.
All content © Copyright 2000 - 2013 WorldNow and WSFA, a Raycom Media Station.
