As the FIFA World Cup 2026 approaches Houston, so do the scammers.
Read full article: The Ticket Queen’s guide to avoiding scams buying FIFA World Cup 2026 tickets in Houston With average seats at $672, Houston ’s “Ticket Queen” explains why the World Cup is shaping up to be soccer’s Super Bowl — in both scale and price‘Buy now’: Houston ticket broker says FIFA World Cup 2026 ticket prices are sky-high and trending upward Read full article: ‘Buy now’: Houston ticket broker says FIFA World Cup 2026 ticket prices are sky-high and trending upward U.
S. District Attorney Nicholas Ganjei announces the results of 'Operation Gatekeeper' at the U.S. District Attorney Southern District's downtown Houston office on December 8, 2025.Read full article: Sugar Land man pleads guilty to smuggling AI computer chips to China, first case of its kindNorthbound lanes of SH-35 in Brazoria County to be closed 24 hours after 18-wheeler overturns, spills molten sulfur Read full article: Northbound lanes of SH-35 in Brazoria County to be closed 24 hours after 18-wheeler overturns, spills molten sulfurWith tickets ranging from $205 to nearly $1,000 — and that’s for the cheap seats — criminals know desperate fans are willing to look past red flags for a “killer deal.”‘Buy now’: Houston ticket broker says FIFA World Cup 2026 ticket prices are sky-high and trending upward People are traveling far and wide to the Houston area to catch the World Cup action, and the scammers are no exception. Ramsey said scammers will even come from out of town, hoping to rip off unsuspecting fans.With the emergence of online shopping and digitally encrypted tickets as the industry standard, Ramsey said the tactics employed by con artists are familiar but increasingly sophisticated. “Fake tickets being made,” Ramsey said. “ say that they have the tickets, and the regular consumer is just too trusting nowadays. They’ll send them money, blindly, to a Zelle number or a CashApp, and then the person doesn’t even respond anymore. I’ve seen that several times.” For those who prefer the old-school, physical paper ticket, Ramsey said the scammers are still in touch with the classic methods, too. FIFA will only be selling mobile tickets. “I’ve seen the fake paper printout ticket several times that has a made-up section, a made-up row. And they try to duplicate as much as possible, but most venues don’t even have paper tickets anymore,” she added.“I’ve seen screenshots of fake tickets. I don’t know if it’s AI, I don’t know who’s making them. But they try hard, and it’s sometimes hard to tell the difference. But usually, I can tell right away if it’s a fake ticket,” she said.Some fakes are shockingly convincing. Ramsey recalled extremely well-made counterfeit Super Bowl tickets, from the New England Patriots’ historic overtime win over the Atlanta Falcons in Houston in 2017. “When the Superbowl was here, there was some fake tickets that it they didn’t come through our office, but another ticket broker had showed me, and they were really, really good. Really well made. Put it that way.”Buy from a local ticket broker you can verify.Get a receipt that shows where the tickets came from.Buy paper tickets — FIFA will only use mobile tickets.“I’ve seen people come from out of town just to work these events and scam people,” she said.“Ask for a receipt from FIFA where they bought them or where they got them from. Ask for a receipt.”“I haven’t seen yet, but usually it’ll be sent in an email, and it’ll have FIFA’s email on there. Of course, they can probably duplicate that, absolutely. But nine times out of 10, you might have to call FIFA, and they can confirm it or not.”Buying through trusted friends or a reputable Houston broker is your best chance at avoiding a scam, Ramsey said. The fewer strangers involved in your transaction, the better. “If you know a friend that actually has tickets, and you know them well, and they say, ‘Hey, I have four tickets, but I’m only using two. Would you like to buy two from me?’ That’s totally fine.” The most critical factor of that advice, though, is trust. Limit this philosophy to trustworthy, longtime friends, rather than a stranger you have a drink with or a very “friendly sounding” guy on the street outside NRG. “Be careful out there,” Ramsey said. ”Joe or Mike on the streets? No, I wouldn’t trust it at all. Not even at the venue. When the World Cup comes to Houston, I would be leery about buying tickets out there, unless they are can prove that they work for a local ticket broker or somebody can vouch for them.”Michael is a Kingwood native who loves visiting local restaurants and overreacting to Houston sports. He joined the KPRC 2 family in 2024. He earned his BA from Texas A&M University in 2022 and his MA from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2023.New developments in the Fort Bend County ISD redistricting | Tonight on KPRC 2 News at 6Father-in-law, son-in-law killed in apparent murder-suicide in northwest HoustonFrom a high of 70 on Sunday to a morning low of 38 on Tuesday morning—welcome to Houston!Today feels perfectly seasonable, but bundle up starting tomorrow nightHouston attorney Tony Buzbee calls for new investigator in Brianna Aguilera caseTop stories in the Houston area todayDrivers brace for months-long I-10 lane closures near downtown HoustonInside the hours before a Texas A&M student’s fatal fall from an Austin high-rise apartmentMisty, dreary and totally tiny totals todaySuspect exchanges gunfire with Houston police during traffic stop
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