BBB Warns of Fake Olympic Merchandise

With the Winter Olympics less than a week away, the Better Business Bureau is warning consumers and sports fans to aware of scammers peddling fake Olympic memorabilia online. 

According to the Better Business Bureau in Atlanta, a recent search on eBay showed almost 6,000 items for “Sochi 2014” were for sale. Many were authentic re-sales, but some were fraudulent.  One scammer was even trying to sell a fake 2014 Olympic Torch for $7,000.   

“We’re trying to tell people that there are going to be people who are going to be doing this,” said BBB spokesman Dottie Callina. “A lot of people will be buying Olympic merchandise and we want to let them know how to tell what’s truly authentic.”

Callina said the first thing collectors should do is  familiarize themselves with Olympic logos, graphics and branding, and consider shopping directly with the official website of the 2014 Sochi Olympics.

“the most important thing is to go to the official Olympic Web site at www.Sochi2014.com,” she said. “Then click on the word, ‘Shop.’ It also has a list of companies that you can click on to see if they’re authorized to sell Olympic goods.”  

If you want to buy U.S. or Canadian team merchandise, you go to their official Olympic sites at www.teamusa.org or www.olympic.ca.

“Most collectible merchandise for events like the Olympics is manufactured in huge quantities and rarely rises in value,” she said. “So if you see something that says, ‘Limited Edition,’ and it’s going for a very high price, you’re going to want to make sure it really is a limited edition and check out the company before you pay a lot of money.”

Callina said always pay with a credit card so if you do get scammed you have a chance of getting at least some money back. 

And for those lucky enough to actually be going to the Olympics, the BBB warns that travel packages and ticket packages can easily be fraudulent or at least not what you expect. 

Callina advises consumers to be on the lookout for prices that seem too good to be true and only deal with reputable businesses you know, such as, travel agencies, hotels, and car rental companies.  The official site for purchasing tickets to the games is tickets.sochi2014.com.