GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) – It has now been just over a week since the tragic death of NBA legend Kobe Bryant, and the world is still digging for more information about what caused his helicopter to crash into the hills of Los Angeles.
People are scouring the Internet to find deeper details about Kobe’s iconic life as well as his death. But remember not to trust any unfamiliar sites that may be advertising information online.
“Scammers take advantage of celebrity deaths, especially if they’re unexpected,” says Susan Bach of the Better Business Bureau, “They’ll advertise on social media about insider information or exclusive photos. Really it’s just bait for people to click on those so they can download malware onto their phone or computer.”
The BBB has seen scams with several celebrity deaths in the past, such as Robin Williams.
Another major avenue scammers are likely to take is the memorabilia market, as Bryant’s brand and reach spread significantly further than just the NBA. For those looking to find a signed piece of memorabilia, Bach says to research the seller and know the market price before clicking ‘BUY’.
“Know the market price or going rate for whatever item you’re interested in. And if you see something far below that price, it’s likely not a real deal…You have to be very careful. Look for certificates of authenticity and research the seller, because not all sports memorabilia sellers are equal,” Bach says, “Reputation is key. So make sure you do a lot of research first, before purchasing any sort of sports memorabilia – especially online.”
One of the biggest keys in identifying a real piece of memorabilia is knowing exactly what you’re looking for in the item. If that includes a signature, you’d better do research and know what it should look like – and avoiding anything that doesn’t match the pen strokes Bryant would have made.
“Know in advance what his signature looks like so that you’re more educated in knowing if that is real or if somebody else is faking it,” Bach tells WTAQ News, “Look for key phrases like ‘hand-signed,’ because you want to be specific about whose hand actually signed it. Was it Kobe Bryant’s or somebody else’s? A lot of techniques include using auto-pens to quickly reproduce signatures, which is not illegal, but they need to disclose that.”
Last week, eBay jumped from 66,000 Kobe Bryant-related items on Monday to over 79,000 by Friday. Anyone looking for extra tips to identify potentially counterfeit sports memorabilia can learn more from the BBB.
