Watch out for thorns when looking for Rose Bowl tickets

SPRINGFIELD -- Illini fans are urged to be wary of ticket and travel scams as a New Year's Day Rose Bowl showdown with USC draws near.

State consumer protection officials said they have received no complaints so far, but they usually see an increase anytime there's a high-profile sporting event. On Friday, the state attorney general's office offered tips to help avoid such scams.

They include:

• Never wire payment to a seller for any reason.

• Check to see if the ticket broker is a member of the national association (www.natb.org) and the Better Business Bureau (www.bbb.org).

• Avoid paying cash and unsecured Web sites.

• Make sure tickets are included in travel packages. Groups offering such packages are required to have the tickets beforehand and refund the entire package if they fail to provide them.

University of Illinois officials said they have fielded more than 20,000 ticket requests from school donors and season ticket holders over the last four days. On Friday, fewer than 5,000 tickets remained from the school's allotment.

Any remaining tickets go on sale to the general public Tuesday.

Nearly 150 listings for Rose Bowl tickets appeared on eBay Friday.