How To Avoid Scams & 49er Fans

Best practices for protecting buyers and sellers

Do's and Don'ts

This is like any other peer-to-peer transaction. Almost everyone is trustworthy, but there are enough scammers out there that it's better to be safe than sorry.

Do

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    Have them DM you from a social account that has a history of Seahawks signals: It's not enough for them to list their social accounts. They could be picking someone else's to impersonate a Seahawks fan. Ask them to DM you FROM that account so you know they are really a Seahawks fan.

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    Have a live conversation with the other party: Being a HB Patron gives you access to a Discord channel where you can direct message with other HB Patrons. This is an easy way to chat. Alternatively, you can arrange a phone or video call. You could also meet in person so both parties can watch the other do the exchange.

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    Check their Trust Signals in their profile: HB Ticket Exchange has a users section where you can look up the names of the people you were interacting with and see more about their track record:

    • Review Count: Users can review each other and either vouch for other users who they have either bought tickets from or sold tickets to on the HB Ticket Exchange or leave warnings/negative feedback to caution people. Check to see a user's Review Count. Having zero reviews is not a red flag, but having more positive reviews is a green flag.
    • HB Patron: It is unlikely either a scammer or an opposing fan (e.g., 49er trash) would pay a monthly fee to be part of a Seahawks community. A user who has linked their HB Patreon account is a big green flag. Theoretically, some could create a fake Vouch for another person, but you can't fake being an HB Patron.
    • Discord Account: Providing a Discord username is an additional positive signal on top of being an HB Patron. This allows you to interact in real-time with the person and observe how they show up in the community.
    • Twitter Account: Providing a Twitter account is a positive signal and allows you to see their posting history. It also gives you a way to interact if they allow DMs.
    • Instagram Account: Providing an Instagram account is a positive signal and allows you to see their posts and follows. It also gives you a way to interact via DMs.

Don't

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    Accept PDF or anything that isn't a Ticketmaster Mobile ticket: All Seahawks home games have mobile tickets. A common method for scammers is to try and sell you a PDF that looks like a legitimate ticket, but it will fail when you try to enter the stadium. Some scammers will try to send you a screenshot of a ticket with the barcode. Screenshots will not work to get into the stadium. Only accept a mobile ticket transfer handled by Ticketmaster.

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    Transfer your tickets or send your money without some protection: You will find options below for how to safely transfer tickets with less risk for both parties. If someone is insisting on an unsafe method or being pushy, just find another ticket.

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    Be fooled by low prices: You will get some great deals on the HB Ticket Exchange, but if the price seems too good to be true, it probably is.

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    Buy or sell without checking a user's HB Ticket Exchange user profile: It only takes a second and could save you a lot of hassle, while providing some peace of mind.

Closing The Deal

NFL Ticket Exchange by Ticketmaster

The simplest way to protect buyer and seller is to use the only approved NFL site for buying and selling tickets: Ticketmaster. You can use this app to find a Seahawks buyer, agree on a price, and then coordinate the timing of listing your tickets on Ticketmaster to allow your buyer to purchase them.

It is highly unlikely someone else would purchase your seats at the exact moment you plan to post them and the buyer is ready to buy them.

Pros

  • Seller gets full protection for any bad behavior in their seat. This is the only method that eliminates culpability if the person occupying your seats misbehaves.
  • Strongest fraud protection for buyer (all tickets are verified authentic)

Cons

  • Ticketmaster fees are substantial. It can be 10% of the sale price for sellers and a similar markup for buyers. Consider listing the Ticketmaster price here on the HB Ticket Exchange so there is no sticker shock.
  • There is a very small chance someone else buys the tickets before the buyer has a chance to make the purchase.

Escrow Services

Escrow services allow for buyers and sellers to get some protections in exchange of digital goods. Essentially, they become a middle man for the exchange that holds both parties accountable.

Escrow.com

How it works: A neutral third party holds the buyer's payment until both parties have fulfilled their obligations. Funds are released to the seller only after the buyer confirms they have successfully received and accepted the tickets.

Pros: Safest non-Ticketmaster option for both, Formal Dispute Resolution, Handles Digital Goods well.
Cons: Fees apply, process takes longer, requires both parties to adopt.

PayPal Goods & Services

How it works: When a buyer sends money, choosing "Goods & Services" automatically includes PayPal's Purchase Protection for eligible transactions.

Pros: Built-in protection for digital tickets, widely familiar, robust dispute resolution explicitly covering event tickets.
Cons: Seller pays fee (~2.9% + $0.30), potential for buyer abuse, no direct "escrow" holding.

Key for PayPal:

Seller's Proof: Keep detailed records (screenshots of initiated transfer, confirmation email). Evidence is crucial if a dispute arises.

Buyer's Role: Accept tickets into your Ticketmaster account as quickly as possible.

Venmo Purchase Protection

How it works: Similar to PayPal, offers "Purchase Protection" when payment is explicitly tagged as a "purchase."

Pros: Very convenient and popular, offers buyer protection for eligible purchases.
Cons: Seller fees, less robust dispute process than PayPal. Buyer MUST remember to tag it.

Services to AVOID (No Dispute Resolution)

  • Zelle: Designed for trusted friends/family ONLY. NO protection.
  • Venmo (untagged): Treated as personal payment with no protection.
  • Cash App: Limited to no fraud protection for goods/services.
  • Wire Transfers / Direct Crypto: Funds are irreversible and almost impossible to recall.

FAQ

Can I sell or buy tickets through this site? ▼

No. You can find buyers or sellers here, but the actual purchase transaction is up to you and whoever you transact with on here.

I really want this site to succeed. How can I help support what you are doing? ▼

The best way to support the site is by spreading the word to every Seahawks fan you know. Let's make this the biggest and best registry of verified Seahawks fans.

The other way to support is by signing up at HB Patron to help verify yourself or sending a tip through My Venmo. This costs a lot of money, and your contributions help me at least break even.

How can I be sure I am selling to a Seahawks fan? ▼

The only way to be completely certain is if you know the person. This site attempts to provide a variety of mechanisms to determine if the person is a real fan. Being an HB Patron is the best way to be sure given it requires spending money.

What if someone resells the tickets I sell them on here to the highest bidder? ▼

People suck sometimes. We can't control all outcomes. The hope is that will be a very rare occurrence given the extra hoops they have to jump through. Our goal is to get as many Seahawks fans in the seats as possible.

Why should I trust this site over others? ▼

I have been a Seahawks fan for decades. My driving motivation for building this site is to preserve the best home field advantage in the NFL. I would be making different decisions if my goal was to profit. Other sites will prioritize profit over Seahawks victories.