Beware Grey Cup ticket scams: police
Calgary fans eager to unload tickets to championship game
Last Updated: Tuesday, November 24, 2009 | 7:06 PM CT
CBC News
Related
Internal Links
Audio
- CBC Radio's Erin Collins speaks with Calgary bar owner Marion Hayes (Runs: 1:40)
- Play: Real Media »
Saskatchewan Roughriders quarterback Darian Durant, celebrates with fans after defeating the Calgary Stampeders to win the CFL Western final in Regina on Sunday. (Jeff McIntosh/Canadian Press) Saskatoon police are warning the public to watch out for Grey Cup ticket scams.
Many fans have been scrambling for tickets since Sunday when the Saskatchewan Roughriders defeated the Calgary Stampeders in the West Division final.
In a news release, police said they're aware that numerous people are searching for tickets on the internet this week.
There have been no frauds uncovered yet, but police believe the potential exists and they're telling potential ticket buyers to proceed with caution.
Among the advice they're passing along is not to use money orders or wire services, which they say are common methods used to defraud buyers of their money.
Other tips from police:
- Do not give out personal information, including credit card numbers, to anyone or any business unless you are sure it is reputable.
- Never send cash or cheques through the mail in these kinds of transactions.
- Methods of payment that are considered secure include online services such as PayPal.
Tickets to this year's Grey Cup in Calgary are technically sold out, but there are still tickets available online or through travel companies.
Regina's Dash Tours, for example, has some Grey Cup packages, but the company says it expects them to sell out quickly.
Calgary fans unload tickets
Riders fans may also get lucky at Pazzer's Saskatchewan Pub in the northwest Calgary where morose Stamps fans have been unloading their tickets since the team was eliminated on Sunday.
'I think there's plenty of green fans that will come and snag those tickets lickety split.'—Marion Hayes, Calgary bar owner
Bar owner Marion Hayes said she's been getting steady calls from people trying to sell their seats.
"We had a fellow, he had three second row tickets and he was asking face value for them. I think he was a sad Stampede fan," said Hayes. "But you know what, good news was, somebody at the end of the bar took the number, gave him a call.
"There'll be a few more people who aren't so happy and maybe don't want to go, but I think there's plenty of green fans that will come and snag those tickets lickety split."
Meanwhile, a check on eBay Monday showed, at the high end, tickets holders are seeking as much as $400 to $2,500 apiece.
Share Tools
Latest Saskatchewan News Headlines
- Highway crash near Estevan kills 1
- One person has died and two others are in hospital after two vehicles collided on Highway 39 northwest of Estevan, Sask., late Saturday night. more »
- MS patient advocates for better follow-up care
- Michelle Walsh, a Saskatchewan woman with multiple sclerosis, is pushing for clinics at home that can follow up on current therapies. more »
- Culinary pros visit Saskatoon
- Members of the national Junior Culinary Team are in Saskatoon for a special event to hone their skills and share their expertise with up and coming chefs. more »
- First time on skates
- An English-language class enjoyed a uniquely Canadian field trip Saturday: donning skates at a local outdoor rink, many for the first time. more »
Top News Headlines
- Markets gain after Greece approves austerity plan
- World stock markets rise after Greece's parliament approves a new set of austerity measures that were required by international lenders in exchange for an emergency bailout. more »
- Quebec town 'heartbroken' after killing of woman, sisters
- A small Quebec town is in mourning Sunday after a Quebec man was charged with killing his nieces and his mother, who were found dead in their family home. more »
- Hit and run victim's family fears accused will walk
- The family of a young mother killed in a hit and run is outraged that the case against the alleged driver is among thousands in B.C. at risk of being thrown out because of a huge court backlog. more »
- Neil Macdonald: The death penalty debate America isn't having
- Texas's death row archive is a troubling document, not the least for what it doesn't say about those who may be wrongfully convicted, Neil Macdonald writes. more »
- Highway crash near Estevan kills 1
- Suspect in Fort Qu'Appelle homicide arrested
- Brawl at house party sends 3 to hospital
- MS patient advocates for better follow-up care
- Culinary pros visit Saskatoon
- First time on skates
- Man stabbed to death in Fort Qu'Appelle, Sask.
- Regina mayor to reveal if he will run again
- Thin ice warnings don't deter some

