Vikings warn of ticket fraud

The Vikings are warning fans to be wary of buying tickets on the street and online through non-official sources, as more than 100 fans were duped by counterfeit tickets at the Vikings-Packers game.

The Vikings face a lot of tough opponents during the course of a season, but they’re advising their fans about an opponent of their own on game day – counterfeit ticket sales.

According to the Vikings, hundreds of fans were defrauded prior to the Vikings-Packers game Oct. 5 with stolen or counterfeit tickets sold on-line or outside the stadium. The Vikings became the latest victim of counterfeit ticket rings out of Atlanta, Detroit and New York that travel the county for high-profile events, from sports contests to concerts.

The Vikings want to remind fans that, due to their ticket-scanning process, if someone purchases a counterfeit ticket, not only will they not get into the Metrodome, they could be subject to investigation themselves. The warning to fans reiterated that there are three ways to safely get tickets – through the Vikings ticket office, Ticketmaster and the NFL TicketExchange.

As a warning to fans, the Vikings advise that one never buy an E-ticket from anyone on the street outside the stadium and pointed out that fans should scrutinize tickets for any discrepancies and signs of photocopying on the ticket.

As the popularity if the Vikings continues to grow thanks to their success to start the season, the likelihood of counterfeit tickets increases, so fans are advised to keep their eyes open and be wary of people selling tickets on the street. The scam artists are out there and nobody wants to be their next victim.

FRIDAY NOTES

Percy Harvin returned to practice Thursday after missing Wednesday’s practice with a shoulder injury. Harvin was one of six Vikings that was limited at practice, along with Ray Edwards (hamstring), Steve Hutchinson (back), Phil Loadholt (ankle), Darius Reynaud (hamstring) and Naufahu Tahi (ankle).

While the Ravens are hopeful offensive tackle Jared Gaither can return after a scary neck injury two weeks ago that had Gaither leave the field on a stretcher, he did not participate in practice for a second straight day Thursday.

Ravens defensive tackle Haloti Ngata, who missed Wednesday’s practice with a back injury, returned on a limited basis Thursday and is expected to start.

Artis Hicks got fined $5,000 for a push to Rams defensive tackle Gary Gibson, who suffered a broken ankle on the play last Sunday.

The Vikings defense has struggled to stop tight ends in recent weeks, which isn’t good news since the Ravens have one of the better ones in the league in Todd Heap. Last week, tight end Daniel Fells tied for the Rams lead with five catches for 45 yards, and both he and Randy McMichael had solid receiving days. The week before that, Green Bay’s Jermichael Finley became the first Vikings opponent to top 100 yards receiving on the season. The week before that, Vernon Davis caught seven passes for 96 yards and two touchdowns.