Houston police have arrested four people in five separate incidents in a crackdown on counterfeiters outside Minute Maid Park during the first two games of the World Series.
One of the four men caught was 18-year-old Christopher Cross who was actually nabbed twice. On Monday, police say he tried to sell the fake tickets to two undercover police officers, who showed the tickets to an MLB representative who confirmed that they were counterfeit.
Cross was arrested Monday and posted bail. The next day, police say he was caught by an undercover Homeland Security agent, this time, in the company of 37-year-old Myree Quavious Jaborrie. Both Cross and Jaborrie are from Georgia.
"Usually it's people from out of town. They travel from event to event and do this at every event," said local ticket broker, Kayla Ramsey.
How to spot a fake
A local ticket broker told KPRC 2 Reporter MaryAnn Martinez the key to ensuring you've bought a real ticket is to ask the seller to walk up to the gate with you while you get the ticket scanned BEFORE you give them money. Some of the counterfeits are so good, even experts can be fooled.
The Houston Astros suggest that fans ensure that mobile tickets are viewable on the app or official website where the ticket was originally purchased. Fans should also ask the seller to prove that the ticket isn't a screenshot.
If paper tickets seem too glossy, blurry or don't have perforations, they might be fake, the team warns. Tickets with colors that don't exactly match the team colors are also suspect.
Games 6 and 7
Tickets for the two remaining home games, if necessary, are on sale and start at about $600. Anything in the lower level starts at about $2,000. The tickets are refundable if the World Series ends before Game 6.