Scammers Lead 3 Thunder Fans Up to Cox Suite and Take $300

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK-- A man and his two friends get duped by scammers who led them to the Cox Suite at Tuesday night's Thunder Game.

The scam victim gave his story, but did not want Fox-25 to release his name.

He says he was trying to score free tickets to the sold out game against the Los Angeles Lakers, when two scammers approached him.  The victim says both men wore what appeared to be VIP Lanyards.  One impostor claimed he was a promoter with the Lakers and had family members on the team.

The victim says the scammers led his party of three through the door, past three security check points, and into the Cox suite at Chesapeake Energy Arena.

"I've never seen that before," said Dan Mahoney, a spokesman with the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The victim says the impostor led his group to their seats, and left to get their tickets.  A few minutes later, the real ticket holders showed up.  The victim found the imposter who said he made a mistake, and led his group to another set of seats.  That's when the victim paid the scammers $300.

The victim and his two friends watched most of the first quarter before the real ticket holders showed up.  That's when the victim realized he was scammed.

"Make sure you buy authorized tickets, don't buy from someone on the street," said Mahoney.

Mahoney says scammers are getting clever in Oklahoma City, and all Thunder fans should be wary.  

"There was no security issue here," said Mahoney, "but it was an issue where the ticket taker didn't do the job and the person got through and they shouldn't have."

Tim Linville, Director of Sales and Marketing at Chesapeake Energy Arena says all employees are getting re-trained on security protocols after Tuesday's incident.

"It was a mistake," said Linville, "and we're going to make sure it doesn't happen again."

Linville and Mahoney say while scammers have been turned away before at Chesapeake Energy Arena, none have ever led anyone up to the Cox suite. 

"It's terrible when people get duped," said Linville, "and people give hard earned money that they've paid to come see a show, or come see a game."

Oklahoma City Police say officers have not caught the scammers.  Mahoney says Cox suite tickets are not sold individually and are part of the ownership of the suite. 

Posted: Saturday, March 30 2013, 05:36 PM CDT