MICHIGAN, USA — UPDATE November 21, 2024: Ticketmaster responded to 13 ON YOUR SIDE and sent the family three tickets in time for the Sunday game.
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A southwest Michigan family is devastated after they bought tickets to an NFL game this weekend, but then they were taken out of their Ticketmaster account by someone they do not know.
In August, Terah Howell's husband bought her and their son tickets to the Chicago Bears vs. Minnesota Vikings game in Chicago on Sunday, Nov. 24 as a big birthday gift.
The family is a bunch of diehard football fans and Howell is obsessed with Vikings Wide Receiver Justin Jefferson. She was raised as a Vikings fan since she was a child.
Howell and her son just celebrated their actual birthdays this month, right before the game. She's never been to an NFL game and has been looking forward to this experience for months.
On Oct. 7, however, Howell said the three tickets they purchased on Ticketmaster's website were transferred out of her account and claimed by someone she doesn't know.
"Two days later, I could see them for sale on the NFL site, and it said, verified resale tickets. How can they be verified when I just called two days before?" asked Howell.
Since then, she said she's called Ticketmaster again and again. She's spent hours on the phone with the company.
"If Justin Jefferson, for some reason, like, doesn't play after this season, and I don't get to go to this game, like, it's something that's not replaceable."
After Howell reached out to 13 ON YOUR SIDE, the 13 Help Team emailed Ticketmaster on the night of Tuesday, Nov. 19. We then called Ticketmaster twice on Wednesday, Nov. 20, spending more than an hour on the phone.
One person from Ticketmaster said the family would hear something back Wednesday night. Another person said to email the address we already reached out to on Tuesday. We emailed again.
While it's not know what exactly happened to Howell's tickets, the Better Business Bureau recommends using two-factor authentication for your accounts when possible and follow their advice for creating a strong password.