Two residents of New York City, Tyrone Rose, aged 20, and Shamara Simmons, 31, are facing serious charges for allegedly stealing and reselling over 900 tickets, primarily for Taylor Swift’s widely acclaimed Eras Tour. According to prosecutors, their illegal cyber operation generated more than USD 600,000 (approximately AUD 950,000) in illicit profits. The scheme also involved tickets for other major events, including concerts by Adele and Ed Sheeran, as well as NBA games and the US Open Tennis Championships.
The duo has been charged with grand larceny and computer tampering, with authorities noting that a third suspect in the case has yet to be apprehended. Reports indicate that Rose worked as a contractor at StubHub, where he reportedly redirected confirmation emails to facilitate the resale of these stolen tickets.
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz commented on the situation, stating that the accused exploited the demand for Taylor Swift’s concerts and other popular events to profit unlawfully. She highlighted that they allegedly manipulated a loophole in an offshore ticket vendor’s system to obtain tickets to what has been described as the biggest concert tour in a decade, subsequently reselling these at exorbitant prices.
In response to the incident, StubHub issued a statement emphasising their commitment to maintaining a secure platform for ticket buyers and sellers. The company mentioned that they have since refunded or replaced all affected orders and enhanced their security measures to safeguard their users further. They expressed gratitude to the District Attorney and law enforcement for their efforts in addressing the matter.
Notably, during the pre-sale for Swift’s Eras Tour, Ticketmaster’s website experienced significant outages, leading resale tickets to command prices exceeding USD 30,000 (around AUD 47,000). Swift herself expressed frustration at these technical issues, referring to the situation as “really pisses me off.” Her tour has made history as the first to surpass USD 1 billion (approximately AUD 1.58 billion) in gross revenue.
This unfolding case serves as a stark reminder of the lengths to which individuals may go to capitalise on the high demand for popular entertainment events, as well as the robust measures being adopted by ticket outlets to combat such fraudulent activities.