Cyber thieves indicted in New York for stealing, reselling Taylor Swift tickets

• Two people were arrested for allegedly stealing more than 900 concert tickets and reselling them at a profit of over $600,000. The scheme involved exploiting a loophole through an offshore ticket vendor.
• The suspects allegedly intercepted ticket URLs from purchasers before sending them to co-conspirators, who then resold the tickets.
• They face charges of computer tampering and grand larceny, with potential sentences of up to 15 years in prison.

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Online actors have been arrested and arraigned for allegedly stealing tickets to Taylor Swift’s “Eras” tour in New York. The Queens District Attorney’s office revealed a cybercrime ring was responsible for the theft of over 900 tickets.

Ticket theft scheme targeted popular events

District Attorney Melinda Katz said two people worked through a Jamaica-based contractor for StubHub. Users can buy and sell tickets for concerts, games and other live events on the online platform.

“They allegedly exploited a loophole through an offshore ticket vendor to steal tickets to the biggest concert tour of the last decade and then resold those seats,” Katz said in a statement.

Investigation tracks 350 orders, $600,000 profit

The suspects allegedly stole URLs from ticket holders and forwarded them to two additional co-conspirators. Instead of the legitimate purchasers receiving their tickets, the stolen tickets were downloaded and resold on StubHub, generating over $600,000 in profits, according to the D.A.’s office.

The suspects face charges of computer tampering and grand larceny. They could spend up to 15 years in prison if convicted of the top charge.

The investigation, which tracked the suspects’ activities between 2022 and 2023, uncovered 350 orders, netting nearly 1,000 tickets. Investigators found that the group targeted some of the most popular events, including concerts by Adele and Ed Sheeran, the U.S. Open tennis championships and NBA games.

The D.A.’s office said the investigation is still open as authorities work to determine the full scope of the crimes and identify additional accomplices. At least one suspect remains at large, and another has died.