What’s a better fall activity than tailgating and watching a Marshall or Ohio State football game with family and friends?

Football season is in full swing, and if you don’t already have season tickets or pass to the games of your choice, odds are, you’ll try and find the best deal possible before buying.

Unfortunately, scammers know people like a good deal and will try to make their third-party ticket look too good to pass up.

Scam artists generally instruct consumers to pay using wire transfer, cash, prepaid money cards, or other forms of payment that are difficult to trace. Once the payment is transferred from the consumer to the “seller,” the money generally cannot be recovered. Then, the buyer is left empty handed or with tickets that are invalid.

To avoid ticket scams, deal only with reputable businesses instead of third-party individuals who are not associated with an event.

Check the venue’s ticket policies. Find out how tickets are being sold and what kind of tickets will be accepted at the event. Increasingly, a number of venues and events primarily use electronic tickets. However, if you’re trying to buy a paper ticket, take steps to make sure it’s real.

Consider paying with a credit card. If a problem arises, you generally have greater ability to dispute credit card charges versus other forms of payment. Be skeptical of sellers who say you must pay via wire transfer, prepaid money card, or gift card.

These are preferred payment methods for scam artists, because once payment is provided, it is very difficult to recover.