"(Counterfeiters) are definitely getting better," said Kirk Dyer, executive director of ticket operations for the Denver Broncos. "The tickets do look more like legitimate tickets."
Dyer says the arrival of Peyton Manning has created a buzz for tickets in Denver.
"The demand has been very high this year and a lot of excitement about the team and we are sold out for all of our games this season," Dyer said.
With Sunday's game being a prime-time, nationally-televised matchup of Manning versus New Orleans Saints Quarterback Drew Brees, Dyer and the Denver Police Department expect the number of counterfeit tickets to increase.
"I could see where people fall victim to it very easily," Denver resident Fred Bollin said.
Bollin was trying to get four tickets to Sunday's game through Craigslist; he saw plenty of opportunities and got several responses.
But, then Bollin noticed a pattern.
"They'll make up a story, I got sent out of town for work. I'm trying to make some money for family," said Bollin.
He said the scammers would also advise him to send money to a third-party pay service, which ends up being fraudulent. He even got an email with his so-called ticket information and directions of how to send his money.
"And, I start looking at the email and I'm going this, this does not look real," Bollin said. "It's a very common approach and a lot of people fall victim to it."
That's why the Broncos and Denver Police want people to be wary of scammers, especially visitors from out of town like fans of the New Orleans Saints.
"There's so many people that go to these games and they're buying tickets online," Norey Smith, a Saints fan who travelled from Louisiana said. "They're buying tickets from other individuals and get to the gate and they get disappointed because they find out their tickets are counterfeit."
Dyer says the best way for people to avoid scams is to buy their tickets directly from the Broncos ticket office, Ticketmaster, or the NFL Ticket Exchange. He says that's the only way to guarantee the tickets purchased are legitimate. Dyer says there is no way for fans to tell if a ticket is fake.
"It's a tough situation to deal with. It's a hard lesson for people to learn," Dyer said. "But, you know, these scams are out there."
(KUSA-TV © 2012 Multimedia Holdings Corporation)