WCNC 12:16 p.m. EST December 30, 2014
Cam Newton(Photo: Kevin C. c*x, Getty Images)
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- A limited number of tickets for the Carolina Panthers NFC Wild Card Playoff against Arizona sold out quickly.
The tickets went on sale at 8 p.m. Sunday and by Monday morning only single seat tickets were available. There are reports that 7,000 playoff tickets sold out in 15 minutes.
On TicketExchange and Stubhub Monday afternoon, Level 500 tickets were going for about $100 per ticket. The most expensive seats we found were in the lower level of Bank of America Stadium along the 50 yard line. Those are being sold for the premium price of $2,500 each.
With Panther fans buying playoff tickets in a hurry, they should exercise some caution when it comes to what's left.
Experts say Charlotte is a target for ticket counterfeiters.
"Last year for the playoff game, it was in the hundreds," said Tom Bartholomy with the Better Business Bureau. "We get special attention from the scammers."
Bartholomy says Panthers fans are a prime target, because hosting playoff games isn't common ground.
"If we're Green Bay or Seattle that makes the playoffs all the time, it's not as interesting to the counterfeiters because the demand is pretty well known," Bartholomy said.
If you're buying online, Bartholomy recommends NFL Ticket Exchange, or StubHub.
"They're able to authenticate them through the serial numbers that are on the tickets," Bartholomy said.
Avoid sites that don't, like craigslist.
"You can get the same tickets here for $50 less," Bartholomy said. "Well, there's a risk."
He says scalping on game day can be risky, too.
"By the time you get to the gate and find out it's not real, that guy's long gone," Bartholomy said.
If you're going to scalp, he recommends doing it from someone who's selling right outside the gate where police are nearby. As for warning signs on the tickets themselves, the ticket office doesn't have any hard-copy ones yet, but looking at ones from the regular season, always keep an eye out for the letters "PSL." It stands for Personal Seat License and 90% of real Panthers tickets have it, but then again, so could the counterfeits.
"Holding one real one and one counterfeit one in your hand, they look identical," Bartholomy said.
There is some hope Panthers fans: since the team didn't clinch their playoff berth until Sunday night, counterfeiters don't have much time to work with before kickoff on Saturday afternoon.
"With this quick of a turn, hopefully they'll make some mistakes," Bartholomy said.
Bartholomy says even paying attention to small details, like the back of the ticket can make a difference. The ticket office is open until 5:30 P.M. on weekdays and should have some examples later in the week.
-WCNC
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