It's a happy time in Bronco land right now, but fans anxious to snatch a pair of tickets to the big game need to be leery of Super Bowl ticket scams, which could turn happy time into extremely sad time.

According to The Denver Post, Colorado Attorney General  Cynthia Coffman is warning Broncos' fans to be careful when shopping for tickets to the big game.

Tickets on the resale market are averaging about $6,000 per ticket. Coffman says eager fans are prime targets for crooks, and fans may not realize they have bogus tickets until they are turned away at the gate.

The Attorney General's office has some tips for fans to help them avoid getting taken by scammers. One safeguard is to make sure the seller is a member of the National Association of Ticket Brokers, which has a 200% guarantee on tickets sold by a member of their organization.

Buying tickets on a site like Craigslist is a bad idea, and you should never pay with cash, check, or a pre-paid card. Using a credit card is the safest way to go because then there is a record of the transaction, and if things should go awry, the credit card company is likely to offer you protection.

The NFL only accepts specialized paper tickets, so if the seller is offering electronic tickets it should raise a red flag.

There are plenty of other things you can do to protect yourself from losing thousands of dollars on a phony ticket scam, so be sure and do your homework, and be extremely cautious with your purchase.

More From Kool 107.9