Mounties in B.C. are warning feverish Canuck fans to take extra care when purchasing playoff tickets.
One unlucky man made a $3,200 bank transfer believing he was buying four tickets to a Vancouver Canucks, Boston Bruins Stanley Cup final game.
After the transaction was finished, the tickets didn't show up and the seller disappeared, said RCMP Const. Steve Holmes.
"When this whole Stanley Cup event is heating up, people are getting feverish about getting tickets."
He said there are people who are included to commit crime by preying on that excitement and it leaves the hapless victim wondering how they fell for such a con.
Holmes warned anyone buying tickets to go through official channels.
"People that commit fraud for a living do it well; they cover their tracks well. Sometimes they make mistakes and we're able to catch them at the end of the day, but it doesn't always happen," said Holmes.
When looking for tickets, he said, a little research, some common sense and buying from a legitimate source go a long way to lessen the risk of falling victim to fraud.
"Get educated, ask lots of questions, and suggest safer ways of facilitating a transaction such as Pay Pal," he said.