How to avoid getting scammed buying Padres playoff tickets

Tomoko Burgos, who moved to San Diego from Japan more than a year ago, did not follow baseball in her home country but in her short time here, she’s fallen in love with the Padres.

“I get so nervous to watch it,” Burgos said, adding that the I-5 matchup has been exciting to watch, although she admits to feeling a bit torn when a certain Dodger hitter comes up to the plate.

“I’ve been rooting for [Shohei] Ohtani, but I obviously want the Padres to win,” Burgos said, laughing.

Mark Kohnen from San Diego has no such inner conflict. He doesn’t like the Dodgers and their fan base.

“You see them throwing stuff on the field ... that’s what we think of Dodger fans: They’re showing their true colors,” Kohnen said, adding how this can be the year San Diego grabs its first World Series.

Burgos and Kohnen are just two of thousands — millions? — of San Diegans who would like to see them play in person this post-season, but fans should be wary where they get their tickets.

“You want to be part of it, right?, but you don’t want to spend a lot of money to be part of it,” said Joe Ducey of the Better Business Bureau, which tracks scams as they pop up across the country.

Ducey warns fans motivated to buy tickets to be careful not to buy them from someone who doesn’t actually have them.

“When people get into trouble, they’re looking for just a great deal and that’s typical with any purchase, but with tickets, it’s big time,” Ducey said. 

Here are the safest ways to buy tickets according to the BBB:

• Buy from a venue: It’s a little too late for the games coming up, but if the Friars make it to the World Series, try get a jump on them as possible directly from the team.
• Buy from a broker: This option will certainly be pricier, but they generally have safeguards that guarantee tickets. SeatGeek is the Padres official fan-to-fan ticket marketplace — the cheapest NBC 7 saw on Thursday for that evening's game were $300 each for the nosebleeds, and $224 for Gallagher Square
• If you buy from a reseller on social media, be very careful. Resellers on platforms like Facebook Marketplace may have outstanding deals to tempt you but they be too good to be true. Deal only with people you know, and stay away from ads asking to click on them for cheap tickets

According to the Better Business Bureau, baseball’s postseason is when scammers swing for the fences.

“Some of these people are not even in San Diego," Ducey said. "They pretend to be. They pretend to be season-ticket holders or whatever, but they can be anywhere."

That’s why It’s probably for the best to stick with reputable resell sites that guarantee the tickets. That way, if something goes wrong, you’ll be able to get a refund. Make sure you shop and compare by checking refund policies and other fees they may have. You should also pay with a credit card, which typically offer consumers more protection should something go wrong with the purchase.

We’ll see if Burgos boos Ohtani when he’s at the plate.