Hochul warns against ticket scammers as Knicks stubs price skyrocket

The Knicks may have dropped the ball Wednesday — but their ticket sales are still slam dunks.

Despite an epic Game 1 choke job, fans are still so hot to get a seat for the team’s fiercely anticipated Game 2 against the Pacers on Friday that stubs are going for as much as $3,000 a pop — a startling sum that has ticket scammers frothing at the mouth.

With even standing-room-only ducats going for as much as $577, Knicks fans are being warned to buy only from trusted reselling sites if they want to see the action at Madison Square Garden in person.

Fans should especially stay away from random resellers and places like Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace in order not to wind up with some phony passes to see the Knicks play in the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in 25 years, Gov. Hochul warned Tuesday.

“As the Knicks continue their incredible run, I understand the excitement and pride fans across New York are feeling — it’s electric,” Hochul said in a statement.

“But I want to remind everyone: don’t let that excitement make you a target. Be cautious when buying tickets and only use trusted sources. Scammers are out there, and we won’t let them take advantage of our fans.”

Resold tickets are especially popular with casual fans wanting to get on the bandwagon — with companies like Ticketmaster and SeatGeek as top legitimate sellers.

As of Tuesday afternoon, the cheapest single ticket on any legitimate platform is going for a jaw-dropping $694.

The most expensive that The Post could find Thursday morning was for $3,025, a price that could buy fans as close to the court as row 3, or from all the way in row 23.

Even select nosebleed seats are going for nearly $1,000.

Should the Knicks advance, tickets are going for much, much more — early tickets to the NBA Finals are already being listed at a shock-inducing $2,185 at a minimum, with another $200 service fee piled on top.

Courtside seats are being offered for as much as $105,000.

Knicks Fan First members are being offered first dibs on those pricey seats despite no promise that their team will make the game.

The astronomical prices are already driving desperate fans to scammers with suspiciously low prices posing as ticket resellers, prompting Hochul to issue her urgent warning on Tuesday.

There have been “multiple” complaints already filed with the Federal Trade Commission and the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center of scalpers selling fake NBA tickets, her office told The Post.

The FTC has only received one formal complaint about scammers since the Knicks punched their Eastern Conference Finals ticket, but it had a startling 12 complaints in the last month.

In the last year, the federal agency received 48 complaints about Knicks tickets, with scammed customers reporting “purchasing fake tickets on social media platforms, not receiving tickets they thought they purchased, and other issues regarding ticket sales, including various issues with online retailers.”

Hochul’s office urged fans to follow these steps to avoid ticket scams:

• Purchase from the venue or trusted vendors;
• Avoid resellers on marketplaces like Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace and other social media sites, as well as scalpers prowling the streets;
• Watch out for fake services that mimic legitimate payment platforms to trick individuals into providing sensitive information or transferring funds;
• Verify the seller before making a purchase;
• Consider using a credit card, which offers fraud protections; and
• Beware of low prices: “If it looks too good to be true, it’s probably a scam,” Hochul’s office said.