CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- A limited number of playoff tickets are available for the Carolina Panthers' game on Jan. 10, and fans are being urged to be cautious about where they buy their tickets.

The Panthers are officially selling tickets through Ticketmaster beginning Thursday at 10 a.m. Only 7,000 individual tickets are available. Costs range between $62 and $400.

Almost all the rest of the seats in the stadium are reserved for season ticket holders.

Officials say they expect the tickets to sell out within an hour on Thursday.

The Better Business Bureau is warning fans to be on the lookout for fraudulent sellers when shopping for hard-to-get tickets. The BBB says fans should be wary about buying tickets on online auction sites like eBay.

Instead, choose sites that offer money back guarantees like StubHub.com, TicketsNow.com and RazorGator.com.

The BBB offers this advice when searching online for tickets:

• When buying from an online ticket broker, look for the BBB seal so you know that you are dealing with a company that has a good reputation and a secure Web site for processing your payment.

• If you buy tickets through eBay, choose a seller with a long history of satisfied customers. Scammers can hijack old accounts, so make sure the seller has recently sold other tickets.

• Ticket buyers should also conduct ticket sales transactions through the online site and not be lured away by a seller who would prefer to conduct the transaction privately.

• Never pay the seller by cash, cashier’s check or wire transfer. You will have no way to get your money back if the tickets do not arrive or are counterfeit. Pay with a credit card or through PayPal, both of which offer some protection to the buyer.

• If you are buying tickets from a seller located in North Carolina, it is against the law for the seller to charge a price that exceeds the original ticket cost plus service charges, unless that seller is selling the tickets over the Internet.

The Panthers are the No. 2 seed in the NFC playoffs and will face Minnesota, Arizona or Atlanta in the Saturday night game on Jan. 10. Kickoff is at 8:15 p.m.

For more information on buying Panthers' tickets, click here.