BBB warns of door-to-door and sports ticket scams

While communities across the nation celebrate National Night Out on Tuesday, August 7, Better Business Bureau Northwest + Pacific urges neighborhoods to be wary of door-to-door scams.

National Night Out is an annual event promoting police-community partnerships. The event helps citizens bolster their defenses against crime by strengthening community bonds and educating people on how they can participate in creating safer neighborhoods.

BBB wants to remind home owners that while many trustworthy home improvement and security system companies solicit door-to-door, residents should watch out for high-pressure or deceptive sales practices.

Last year, thousands of consumers filed complaints against door-to-door solicitors. Some of the top scams BBB hears about involve home improvement work, magazine sales, meat sales and home security alarms.

Last summer, BBB Serving Oregon received reports of door-to-door scams involving utility workers, magazine sales and charity requests. According to a BBB Scam Tracker report, the resident paid the sellers $30, but never received the magazines. Keep in mind, in Multnomah County, sales people are not required to apply for a permit or carry identification.

Here’s how the scam works:

Often, scammers stop by your home offering a special service or pretend to be with a utility, security or cable company. Whether they are selling you a product or trying to get inside your home, it’s important to be vigilant whenever a salesperson shows up at your door.

Here’s some tips to help avoid deceptive door-to-door scams:

Do your research. Tell the salesperson you may be interested, but to come back at another time. Consumers should also tell salespeople this if they claim to be affiliated with your utility company or someone you actually do business with. It’s best to always follow-up directly using verifiable contact information on the company’s official website or bbb.org/northwest-pacific. Resist high-pressure sales tactics. A reputable seller will give consumers time to think through the deal. Avoid sellers who need an immediate answer, offer “once in a lifetime” or “today only” deals and put pressure into signing a contract. Ask for the salesperson’s identification. Any legitimate salesperson should be able to provide identification for both themselves and their company such as a permit, business license or business card.   Get it in writing. When making a deal with the salesperson, be sure to get a receipt and a written contract including any special terms and conditions, complete costs, payment timelines and warranty information. Don’t pay in full right away. Be sure to avoid paying in full until the work is completed to your satisfaction. It’s also wise to pay with a credit card for further protection. Remember the Federal Trade Commission’s “Cooling-Off Rule.” This rule gives consumers three days to cancel purchases over $25 made at their home or other location that is not the seller’s permanent place of business. 

If you’ve been a victim of a door-to-door scam, help others avoid being scammed by filing a report with BBB.org/ScamTracker. 

Also Monday, with the kickoff of professional and college football season upon us, Better Business Bureau Northwest + Pacific is advising fans to watch out for ticket scams.

According to the BBB Scam Tracker, football fans reported losing nearly $4,000 to scams last year. The most common scams around football include reselling fake or non-existent tickets through online classifieds, counterfeit merchandise, price gouging, ticket scalping and scammers who use bots to buy thousands of tickets and resell them at inflated prices.

Whether you’re cheering on the Seattle Seahawks, Ducks or Beavers, BBB advises fans to follow this advice when purchasing tickets:

Pay with protection. Paying with a credit card offers consumers protection if scammed. The credit card company may be able to help obtain a refund if the tickets are fake. Be wary of online sellers that ask to wire money and don’t accept credit cards.  Verify the tickets. To check the authenticity of tickets, ask for a copy of the seller’s invoice or purchasing receipt to check where the seller bought the tickets. It’s also recommended to contact the original promoter directly.   Check out the seller/broker. Before you decide to purchase tickets on other sites, be sure to look the seller up on bbb.org. Secure, legal sites for second-hand purchases include BBB Accredited businesses   SeatGeek  and Vivid Seats. These sites guarantee their consumers and sellers a secure transaction. It’s also wise to check if the seller is a member of the National Association of Ticket Brokers. NATB members offer a 200 percent purchase guarantee on tickets. Look up the seller on VerifiedTicketSource.com to confirm you are buying from an NATB-member resale company.    Look for secure sites. The website should begin with https (the ”s” is for secure) and include a lock symbol on the address bar. Also check the official website for a phone number, physical address and email address. Be wary of sites that rely on a contact form instead of offering a customer service phone number. Contact forms make it hard to reach someone from the company.  Shop local. If you’re searching for ticket bargains on classified sites and apps such as Craigslist, eBay Classifieds, OfferUp and Letgo, it’s wise to meet sellers in person in a safe, public place.  

Any fan who believe they are the victim of a scam is encouraged to report it to BBB Scam Tracker. For more information, consumers can visit www.bbb.org/tickets.  

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ABOUT BBB: For more than 100 years, the Better Business Bureau has been helping people find businesses, brands and charities they can trust. In 2017, people turned to BBB more than 160 million times for BBB Business Profiles on more than 5.2 million businesses and Charity Reports on 11,000 charities, all available for free at bbb.org. There are local, independent BBBs across the United States, Canada and Mexico, including BBB Northwest & Pacific, which serves more than 15 million consumers in Alaska, Washington, Idaho, Oregon, Montana, Hawaii and Western Wyoming.