Two suspects have been apprehended for allegedly stealing over 900 concert tickets for Taylor Swift's Eras Tour. The tickets were stolen through a cybercrime scheme, and then resold on StubHub for a profit of over $600,000.?
Tyrone Rose and Shamara Simmons have been indicted by the Queens District Attorney's Office for allegedly orchestrating a ticket resale scheme, per The Hollywood Reporter. Prosecutors allege that the duo exploited a loophole in StubHub's offshore ticket vendor.
The scheme involved intercepting already-purchased ticket URLs and reselling them for a substantial profit. Rose and Simmons face charges of grand larceny, computer tampering, and conspiracy. If convicted, they could receive sentences ranging from 3 to 15 years in prison.
The report added that between June 2022 and July 2023, a cybercrime crew allegedly stole approximately 1,000 tickets from around 350 StubHub orders. Some members of the crew worked for Sutherland, a third-party contractor based in Kingston, Jamaica.
Using their authorized access to StubHub's computer system, the crew discovered a loophole that allowed them to intercept sold tickets. They obtained the URLs of these tickets, which were intended to be emailed to legitimate purchasers.
The stolen URLs were then sent to other individuals involved in the scheme, who downloaded the tickets and resold them on StubHub. Prosecutors claim that the crew generated over $600,000 in profits from this illicit activity.
The stolen tickets were for various high-demand events, including concerts by prominent artists such as Taylor Swift, Adele and Ed Sheeran. Additionally, tickets were also stolen for sports events, including NBA Games and U.S Open Tennis Championship.?
In a statement, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said, ¡°According to the charges, these defendants tried to use the popularity of Taylor Swift¡¯s concert tour and other high-profile events to profit at the expensive of others.¡±
¡°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 for an extraordinary profit of more than $600,000.¡±
She added, ¡°This takedown highlights the vigilance of my office¡¯s Cybercrime and Cryptocurrency Unit as well as the importance of working with our industry partners to combat fraudulent activities and ensure the protection of consumers.¡±
Taylor Swift wrapped up her groundbreaking Eras Tour last year in December after?holding 149 shows across 21 countries and 51 cities. The tour?grossed more than $2 billion in ticket sales, making it the highest-grossing tour in history. It is also said to have boosted economies worldwide after Covid-19 pandemic.?
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