Seahawks fans duped by Super Bowl ticket scams urged to file complaint

SEATTLE (Reuters) - Washington state's top lawyer sought on Monday to bring some justice to any Seattle Seahawks fans who traveled all the way to Phoenix for the Super Bowl only to find they had spent hundreds or thousands of dollars on fake tickets. "Dealing with a heartbreaking Super Bowl loss is bad enough," Washington state Attorney General Bob Ferguson said in a statement on Monday. "But we've also heard reports of fans buying tickets from brokers, only to find out the brokers did not even have the tickets they purported to sell." "Not only were these fans unable to attend the game, but they were also out hundreds — if not thousands — of dollars for the cost of airfare and accommodations," he added. The Seattle Seahawks fell 28-24 to the New England Patriots in the National Football League's championship game two Sundays ago, failing to advance the ball one yard in the final seconds of play. Seahawks Quarterback Russell Wilson's pass was intercepted in the final seconds of the game, leaving exasperated fans wondering why the team didn't simply hand the ball to powerhouse running back Marshawn Lynch to punch it into the end zone. Ferguson said fans who experienced fraud should contact the Attorney General's Office and file a complaint. The office will review the cases to determine whether individual brokers' actions violated the state's Consumer Protection Act. The face value for tickets to the big game ranged between $800 and $1,900, though a last-minute ticket was reported to cost several times that on the secondary market. (Reporting by Eric M. Johnson in Seattle; Editing by Eric Walsh)