The Super Bowl is one of the biggest events in the world – and just 16 days away from kickoff in Atlanta, some local football fans are coming forward stating they’ve paid thousands of dollars and have no Super Bowl tickets to show for it.
Danese and Jay, who have asked to only be referred to by their first names, said they gave money to a woman they’ve bought Falcons tickets from in the past – and now, she’s nowhere to be found.
“She represented herself as an attorney who had access to Falcons tickets,” said Jay.
“Someone that I had known through another family member had previously attended a game with her in a box suite,” Danese added.
After the woman successfully delivered regular season Falcons tickets to both Danese and Jay, she failed to deliver on her promise for tickets to Super Bowl LIII.
“I reached out to other colleagues, and I had another friend of mine … she purchased around $9,000 in tickets. Another spent $3,700,” Danese said. “Then, of course, there are other family members who were recruiting on their end or other colleagues.”
Danese said she believes in all, her relatives and friends shelled out $60,000 for tickets.
Jay became suspicious after paying for tickets to two Falcons games in December, including a road game. He never received tickets to either game.
“10 friends drove down to Tampa and she stood us up with no refund,” Jay said. “At that point, we had previously already paid her for the Super Bowl tickets.”
Danese said the Super Bowl tickets were supposed to be available in December – but no one has been able to reach the woman they gave their money to.
Jay’s friend filed a police report in Gwinnett County for five money transfers made through PayPal that totaled $24,000.
“I wouldn’t part with that much money unknowingly,” Jay said. “We did our due diligence and I was conned. Smart as one can be, you would be surprised. You just get conned.”
So, where can you buy Super Bowl tickets with confidence?
Craigslist has a number of sellers who even provide photos of their tickets as proof – but experts say it’s not enough to simply trust the seller’s word.
The NFL's website has a link to the official NFL ticket exchange on Ticketmaster, with a 100 percent verified ticket guarantee.
StubHub also advertises every order quote having a 100 percent guarantee.
Jay said that he plans to watch the big game from his couch this year – and is waiting to see if the police report filed in Gwinnett County will help him get his money back.
Danese is still disputing the charges with her credit card company and PayPal, hoping to get a refund.