Two individuals from a New York cybercrime ring have been arrested for stealing over 900 tickets to Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour. The Queens District Attorney, Melinda Katz, reported that the duo exploited a loophole via a StubHub contractor, intercepting ticket URLs meant for actual purchasers, then reselling them for over $600,000 in profits. They face charges including computer tampering and grand larceny, potentially leading to 15 years in prison. Investigators traced their activities across high-demand events like Adele and NBA games. The investigation remains ongoing, with one suspect still at large and another deceased.
[Kalé Carey]
ONLINE THIEVES HAVE BEEN ARRESTED AND CHARGED FOR SWINDLING CONCERT TICKETS FROM FANS EAGER TO SEE ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR ARTISTS IN RECENT YEARS..
THE QUEENS DISTRICT ATTORNEY HAS REVEALED THAT A CYBER CRIME NETWORK LOCATED IN NEW YORK WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE THEFT OF OVER 900 TICKETS FOR TAYLOR SWIFT’S ERAS TOUR.
D-A MELINDA KATZ STATES THAT TWO INDIVIDUALS OPERATED VIA A CONTRACTOR FOR STUBHUB IN JAMAICA, AN ONLINE MARKETPLACE WHERE USERS CAN BUY AND SELL TICKETS TO CONCERTS, SPORTS EVENTS, AND OTHER LIVE PERFORMANCES.
STUBHUB ALERTED THE QUEENS CYBERCRIME AND CRYPTOCURRENCY UNIT TO INVESTIGATE SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITIES ON THEIR SITE.
IN A STATEMENT, SHE EXPLAINS, “They allegedly took advantage of a loophole through an offshore ticket vendor to illegally obtain tickets for the most significant concert tour of the past ten years and later resold those seats.”
THE STUBHUB CONTRACTORS HACKED INTO TICKET HOLDERS’ ACCOUNTS AND SENT EMAILS TO TWO OTHER CO-CONSPIRATORS INSTEAD OF THE ACTUAL PURCHASER.
THE STOLEN TICKETS WERE THEN DOWNLOADED AND RE-RESOLD ON STUBHUB, GENERATING OVER $600,000 IN PROFITS, ACCORDING TO THE D-A’S OFFICE.
THEY ARE FACING CHARGES OF COMPUTER TAMPERING AND GRAND LARCENY, WITH THE POSSIBILITY OF UP TO 15 YEARS IN PRISON IF FOUND GUILTY ON THE PRIMARY CHARGE.
THE INVESTIGATION TRACKED THEIR ACTIVITIES FROM 2022 TO 2023, ENCOMPASSING 350 ORDERS WHERE THEY INTERCEPTED NEARLY A THOUSAND TICKETS.
INVESTIGATORS DISCOVERED THAT THEY TARGETED POPULAR EVENTS, INCLUDING ADELE, ED SHEERAN, U.S. OPEN TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIPS, AND NBA GAMES.
THE D-A’S OFFICE STATES THAT THE INVESTIGATION IS STILL ACTIVE, AS THEY WORK TO UNCOVER THE COMPLETE SCOPE OF THE CRIMES AND IDENTIFY MORE ACCOMPLICES.
AT LEAST ONE SUSPECT REMAINS AT LARGE, WHILE ANOTHER HAS PASSED AWAY.
FOR STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS, I’M KALÉ CAREY.
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