Boston police on Wednesday night arrested a Connecticut man for allegedly trying to sell fake tickets to Game 3 of the NBA Finals outside TD Garden, shortly before the Celtics defeated the Golden State Warriors to take a 2-1 lead in the series, authorities said.
In a statement, police identified the alleged scammer as Jeffrey Hall of Naugatuck, Conn.
The statement said Hall was “suspected” of selling counterfeit tickets and that he was arrested around 8:29 p.m. Wednesday on Causeway Street, about a half-hour before tipoff.
Hall, the statement said, was allegedly “in possession of Counterfeit/Forged Tickets to the NBA Finals Game 3,” and officers learned he also had a warrant out of Wrentham District Court charging him with possessing a forged admission ticket and unlicensed ticket resale.
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Police said Hall was arrested without incident for the outstanding warrant and that he’ll also be summonsed to appear in Boston Municipal Court at a later date for his “connection to the fake tickets collected from his person” Wednesday night.
A call to a possible number listed for Hall wasn’t immediately returned Thursday morning.
Boston police also reiterated their warning to Celtics fans planning to dig deep for Finals tickets: Buy from official resale ticket brokers only.
“Fans who purchase tickets from a secondary source are taking a chance and do so at the buyer’s own risk,” police said. “Officers want to proactively curb such activity and encourage buyers to only purchase from official vendors. Purchasing via other means creates the potential for possessing an invalid and/or counterfeit ticket.”
Fans who see anything amiss should drop a dime.
“If any community members have information about the selling of counterfeit tickets, you are urged to contact Boston Police,” the statement said. “Individuals wishing to provide information anonymously may do so by calling the CrimeStoppers Tip Line at 1-800-494-TIPS or texting the word ‘TIP’ to CRIME (27463). Individuals wishing to provide information anonymously are reminded that the Boston Police Department is only interested in the information you provide, not who you are.”
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Travis Andersen can be reached at travis.andersen@globe.com.