Group nabbed for reselling stolen Swift concert tickets

In a bold cybercrime scheme, a group of international scammers succeeded in illegally obtaining and reselling over 900 digital tickets to high-demand events, including Taylor Swift concerts, on the popular ticketing platform StubHub, as announced by authorities in New York. The crime unfolded primarily through orchestrated efforts between individuals operating from Jamaica for a vendor associated with the ticket marketplace, according to Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz.

The fraudulent operation involved contractors taking digital ticket URL links purchased from StubHub and sending them to accomplices located in New York, who subsequently downloaded and sold them at steep prices back on StubHub, Katz explained. This scam generated more than $600,000 in profits, occurring over a span of approximately 13 months, from June 2022 to July 2023, according to the prosecutors involved.

The vast majority of the stolen tickets were linked to Swift’s immensely popular Eras Tour; however, the thieves also targeted tickets for events featuring major artists like Adele and Ed Sheeran, in addition to high-profile sports events like NBA games and the U.S. Open Tennis Championships. Authorities are still investigating the full scope of the operation and are looking into potential additional conspirators, Katz noted.

Two individuals implicated in the scam, Tyrone Rose and Shamara Simmons, were taken into custody and faced charges last week, including grand larceny, computer tampering, and conspiracy, as stated by Katz’s office. Prosecutors identified Rose, 20, as one of the operatives in Jamaica who rerouted purchased tickets to Simmons, 31, and another accomplice located in the Queens borough of New York City. Rose was arrested during a visit to New York and has been ordered to surrender his passport. Both he and Simmons have pleaded not guilty and were released until their next court appearance scheduled for Friday.

The defense team representing Rose has chosen not to comment, and attempts to reach Simmons’s legal representatives for a statement have been unsuccessful. StubHub responded by claiming they uncovered the criminal operation and promptly alerted law enforcement and their third-party customer service provider about the breach. As a preventative measure, the company ended its relationship with the vendor involved and bolstered its security protocols. StubHub has assured that all affected ticket orders have been replaced or fully reimbursed.