USC-Ohio State matchup a windfall for counterfeiters
USC FOOTBALL
Dozens are scammed as officials discover 'higher than normal' number of fake tickets at Coliseum last Saturday.
A combination of eager fans and opportunistic scalpers at the USC-Ohio State game last Saturday led to officials confiscating approximately 150 counterfeit tickets at the stadium gates.
The number of phony tickets "was higher than normal," said Steve Lopes, a USC senior associate athletic director. "People think they can find a way to beat the system."
The Big Ten vs. Pacific 10 matchup, a clash between teams then both ranked in the national top five, generated unusual demand, with online resellers charging average prices of nearly $400.
Christopher Martinez said he and his brother paid a scalper $950 for four seats but were turned away at the gate when their tickets did not register on the scanner.
"They had the hologram and bar code and everything," said Martinez, 42, of Pasadena. "Then we bumped into some friends and the same thing happened to them."
An LAPD spokeswoman said she was not aware of an unusual number of arrests for scalping at the Coliseum that day.
Still, the number of counterfeit tickets might have been greater than 150 given that some are realistic enough to gain entry through the turnstiles, Lopes said.
"The system does catch most [counterfeits] at the gate," Lopes said.
david.wharton@latimes.com
