Whether it\u2019s a night at the theater, a comedy show or a baseball game, Chattanooga entertainment venues say scammers are increasingly targeting local eventgoers with fake and overpriced ticket listings online.<\/p>\n
Venue operators across the city say third-party ticket websites are charging customers significantly more than official ticket prices. In some cases, buyers may not even realize they were scammed because they still receive valid tickets.<\/p>\n
The issue is affecting venues ranging from the Chattanooga Theatre Centre and Memorial Auditorium to The Comedy Catch and the Chattanooga Lookouts.<\/p>\n
\u201cAn average ticket price here is anywhere between $20 and $30, and you\u2019ll go on these third-party sites and they\u2019re charging anywhere from $60 to, I\u2019ve seen up to $180 per ticket,\u201d said Danielle Alfano, co-owner of The Comedy Catch<\/strong><\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\n Alfano said the practice hurts both customers and small businesses while exploiting the work of performers.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re able to pop up [at the] top of the Google search list, so people are clicking that and buying their tickets,\u201d Alfano said. \u201cThen the third-party site will triple charge and go buy the tickets at the correct price, and all that extra money is going in their pockets.\u201d<\/p>\n Nick Wilkinson, CEO of the Tivoli Theatre Foundation<\/strong><\/a><\/span>, said the problem has existed for years and urged customers to buy tickets directly from official venue websites or box offices.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s unfortunate and it\u2019s very easy to do,\u201d Wilkinson said.<\/p>\n Wilkinson said some third-party sellers not only inflate prices but occasionally sell illegitimate tickets.<\/p>\n