The Highlanders are urging those buying tickets to their games to go through legitimate outlets and do not pay over the odds.
The southern franchise says it has fallen victim to ticket selling agency Viagogo and warned people against buying Highlanders tickets through the overseas agency.
Highlanders chief executive Roger Clark said there was little they could do about the agency which sold tickets to events all over the world.
The way tickets are sold these days - with most being sold online - has opened up the opportunity to a company like Viagogo, he said.
Clark said Viagogo bought the tickets off the Highlanders online and then put them on the Viagogo website at an inflated price. The Highlanders tried to trace the tickets sold to Viagogo and prevent the sale but that was proving difficult.
It may buy 15-20 tickets to a game and then sell them all. They will then turn round and say the game was sold out on the website, Clark said.
But that was simply not true as games were very rarely sold out, Clark said.
He said tickets which could be bought for $25 on face value were often way more than that on Viagogo.
``They are trying to get people to pay $75 to $80 for a $25 ticket,'' he said.
``It is a worldwide phenomenon and something we and New Zealand Rugby have been looking into.
``But it is hard to stop, hard to police.''
The website is listed as an online ticket marketplace and does not have a direct contact number.
It used to operate out of the United Kingdom but lists a Geneva office as its headquarters on its website.
Clark said the way tickets were bought these days meant a company like Viagogo could prosper.
``What is happening is we get new people wanting to come to our games and they put Highlanders and tickets into Google, which is what everyone does now, and what comes up first is the Viagogo site
``I don't know how they do it but they do. And if you don't know any better then you would go on the website and pay for the tickets. It does look legitimate.
``It is just the way society has gone and these people have taken advantage of it.''
Clark said ticket buyers should go through the Highlanders or Ticket Direct for their tickets.
The Otago Daily Times has already reported on instances where event organisers have been unhappy with Viagogo.
Promoters have urged ticket buyers to only go through proper ticket sellers.
Attempts to contact Viagogo were unsuccessful yesterday.