Don't Let Sporting Event Hype Get to Your Identity

With the NBA playoffs just kicking off, many sports fans are doing just about everything they can to get their hands on tickets and memorabilia. However, consumers need to be wary of websites and individuals who claim to be selling the real thing only to take credit card numbers and personal information, leaving you with a case of identity theft and disappointment.

In order to ensure you get what’s expected, review these tips:

· Does the price for those coveted courtside seats sound too good to be true? Then it probably is. Tickets, especially last minute tickets for huge sporting events, are always going to be expensive.

· Beware of low quality, or even counterfeit, products.

· If you are purchasing last minute tickets or memorabilia, never perform a wire transfer. Once your money is gone, it's almost impossible to trace or get the funds back.

· While Craigslist and like type classified sites are a convenient source for finding everything from appliances and furniture to coveted sports event tickets, always take precautions in who you’re dealing with. Always make sure you know what the tickets are supposed to look like, check to make sure all of the information looks correct, and request a receipt and pay in cash when at all possible. This way, if your tickets do end up being fake, you won't have given away your valuable personal information.

If you do end up giving away critical personal information, having identity theft protection can help facilitate an easier process of restoring your identity. Or at the very least, making you aware there’s a potential issue. Monitoring your credit reports and scores for unexpected changes can also help tip you off to possible identity theft.

The safest route is to always buy from legitimate web sites and ticket sources. While the pricing may be steeper than you might like, you'll know you are dealing with a trustworthy vendor. And as long as you're there to see your team's game-winning shot, it'll be worth it, right? That and the peace of mind, knowing your critical identity information is safe.