Latest news with #concerttickets
Yahoo
26-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Global ticket touting operations exposed ahead of major UK gigs such as Oasis
As Cardiff gears up for a summer filled with top music acts, an investigation by BBC Cymru Wales has uncovered major ticket touting operations across the world. Reporter Steffan Powell delves into the shadowy realm of ticket touts in the upcoming programme 'The Great Ticket Rip-Off', which aired on BBC One Wales tonight (Thursday, June 26). The show uncovers how ticket touts are utilising vast networks of individuals abroad, dubbed "ticket pullers", to mass-purchase tickets for big UK gigs such as Oasis and Taylor Swift the moment they're available, aiming to resell them at hiked up prices. The BBC's investigation claimed that these ticket pullers may employ illegal automated software and multiple identities to acquire tickets, potentially constituting fraud. For our free daily briefing on the biggest issues facing the nation, sign up to the Wales Matters newsletter here. READ MORE: Air India crash investigators reveal new breakthrough theory on cause of tragedy READ MORE: Foreign Office updates travel advice for countries popular with UK tourists including Dubai This revelation comes just as Oasis is about to kick off their reunion tour in Cardiff's Principality Stadium on July 4. Last summer, many fans of the Gallagher brothers were frustrated as they were left empty-handed after enduring long online queues without securing tickets for the sold-out tour. You can read more about fan struggles here. In an undercover segment for the programme, Steffan Powell impersonated a prospective ticket tout and captured audio of a Pakistani ticket pulling company boss, who claimed he could assemble a team of pullers capable of purchasing hundreds of concert tickets. Identifying himself as Ali, the individual bragged about his team's success in obtaining numerous tickets for Taylor Swift's Eras tour the previous year, among other significant events, and suggested that touts are raking in "millions" through such schemes. Ali boasted: "I think we had 300 Coldplay tickets, 330, something like that. And then we had Oasis in the same week - we did great" Ali further revealed his awareness of a UK tout who earned over £500,000 last year from reselling tickets, with others raking in millions. A separate ticket reseller from India discussed their strategy on bypassing UK laws, indicating: "If I'm sitting in your country and running my operations in your country, then it is completely illegal. We do not participate in illegal things because actually we are outside of the UK." Ticketing industry veteran Reg Walker described to the programme his infiltration of a covert online group that allegedly racks up thousands of tickets using dubious methods. Walker illuminated the tactics used by such groups to amass 100,000 "queue passes", thereby sidestepping the virtual queue systems set up for concert ticket purchases. He elaborated: "The equivalent is 100,000 people all of a sudden turning up and pushing in front of you in the queue," and expounded on how this impedes true fans from acquiring tickets, "So now you've gone from first in the queue to 100,001. This is the perfect example of how touts block genuine fans out from the ability to buy tickets." The UK Government is plotting fresh measures against the operations of touts, with a spokesperson stating: "We have consulted on a range of measures, including a price cap on ticket resales, as we aim to better protect fans and support the growth of the UK's world leading live events and sport sectors." Scams & Scandals: The Great Ticket Rip-Off is now available to watch on BBC iPlayer.
BBC News
25-06-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Ticket touts employing workers to bulk-buy for concerts
Ticket touts are employing teams of workers to bulk-buy tickets for the UK's biggest concerts like Oasis and Taylor Swift so they can be resold for profit, a BBC investigation has uncovered some touts are making "millions" hiring people overseas, known as "ticket pullers", with one telling an undercover journalist his team bought hundreds of tickets for Swift's Eras tour last year. Our reporter, posing as a would-be tout, secretly recorded the boss of a ticket pulling company in Pakistan who said they could set up a team for us and potentially buy hundreds of UK government plans new legislation to crack down on touts but critics argue it does not go far enough. More than 900,000 tickets were sold for Oasis's long-awaited reunion tour, which starts in Cardiff next thousands of frustrated fans failed to get tickets for the sell-out gigs after spending hours in online queues. Shortly after pre-sale, where a limited number of fans could buy Oasis tickets when they went on sale in August, tickets for their UK gigs were being listed on resale websites like StubHub and Viagogo for more than £6,000 - about 40 times the face value of a standing found genuine fans missed out or, in desperation, ended up paying way over the odds as touts have an army of people working for them to buy tickets for the most in-demand events as soon as they go on sale. Ali, the boss of the ticket pulling company, boasted to our undercover reporter that he'd been successful at securing tickets for popular gigs."I think we had 300 Coldplay tickets and then we had Oasis in the same week - we did great," he told claimed he knew of a UK tout who made more than £500,000 last year doing this and reckons others are "making millions". Our research found pullers buy tickets using illegal automated software and multiple identities which could amount to ticket pulling boss, based in India, told BBC Wales Investigates' undercover reporter: "If I'm sitting in your country and running my operations in your country, then it is completely illegal."We do not participate in illegal things because actually we are outside of the UK."A man who worked in the ticketing industry for almost 40 years showed us how he infiltrated a secret online group that claims to have secured thousands of tickets using underhand methods. Reg Walker said members of the group could generate 100,000 "queue passes" - effectively allowing them to bypass the software that creates an online queue for told the BBC's The Great Ticket Rip Off programme this was the equivalent of "100,000 people all of a sudden turning up and pushing in front of you in the queue".He added: "If you are a ticketing company and an authorised resale company, and someone decides to list hundreds of tickets for a high-demand event... my question would be, where did you get the tickets? There's no due diligence."Fans are usually limited to a handful of tickets when buying from primary platforms such as Ticketmaster. Touts often list their tickets on resale websites and one former Viagogo employee alleged he had seen some profiles with thousands of tickets for sale."They [touts] buy in bulk most of the time in the hope of reselling and making a profit," he said, speaking on condition of anonymity."I don't know how they get their hands on them but I know that at some point they would have bought tickets in bulk in serious numbers."You're not allowing a lot of people to get access because you're hoarding the tickets." Viagogo said it refutes this man's claims, insisting 73% of sellers on its site sold fewer than five tickets each - and other sellers included sports clubs and is not just music concerts targeted by touts as the BBC found evidence of thousands of Premier League football tickets being advertised 1994 it has been a criminal offence to resell tickets for football matches in the UK unless authorised, with the maximum penalty being a £1,000 fine. But we found 8,000 tickets being advertised illegally online for more than face value for Arsenal's Premier League game with Chelsea at the Emirates Stadium on 16 of those sellers was a semi-professional footballer based in the Stolboushkin has openly advertised tickets for football games totalling more than £60,000 on social media in the past year sold our reporter a single ticket at double the face value. Mr Stolboushkin did not respond to multiple attempts to contact him about these potentially illegal practice in the UK is "speculative selling", where touts list tickets for resale without owning them. There is no guarantee these touts will actually secure a ticket and "speculative selling" was one of the reasons two touts were jailed for fraud in investigation found at least 104 seats being "speculatively" listed on Viagogo for Catfish and the Bottlemen's August concert at Cardiff's Principality exact seats appeared to be for sale at the same time on both Ticketmaster, the original point of sale, and Viagogo. After we presented our evidence to Viagogo, it said: "Listings suspected to be in contravention of our policy have been removed from the site."The UK government is looking at measures to try and tackle the issue, but evidence of the challenges faced can be seen in the Republic of Ireland. In 2021, laws were introduced there to stop the resale of tickets above face value, but the BBC found this being included tickets to see the band Kneecap selling for four times their face value of €59 (£50), while tickets for the Six Nations Ireland v France rugby clash in Dublin were selling for £3,000. One of Ireland's biggest promoters, Peter Aiken, said he had never heard of the company selling the tickets and questioned if the tickets existed at ticket companies selling in Ireland are based overseas, which the BBC has been told helps them avoid punishment under Irish resale prices of tickets and regulating resale platforms was one of Sir Keir Starmer's manifesto pledges ahead of last year's general he is prime minister, the UK government has held a consultation with proposals including a price cap that ranges from the original price to 30% above face value, introducing larger fines and a new licensing regime. But Dame Caroline Dinenage, chairwoman of the UK government's cross-party Culture, Media and Sport committee said: "It's a minefield for people who just want to buy tickets for an event they want to enjoy."This evidence proves that there is not enough activity going on either from the government, in some cases from the police and certainly from some of these really big online organisations to be able to clamp down on this sort of activity."The Conservative MP said this investigation highlighted "what a lot of consumers are already seeing that there is a whole world of, in some cases illegal, but it all cases immoral activity going on in the ticketing sphere"."People are having to pay over the odds because others quite often are operating outside of the UK to make an absolute killing on buying up tickets, selling them at a huge premium and in some cases selling tickets that don't exist at all," she UK government's aim is to "strengthen consumer protections and stop fans getting ripped off", according to the UK culture Nandy added she wanted to "ensure money spent on tickets goes back into our incredible live events sector, instead of into the pockets of greedy touts".
Android Authority
24-06-2025
- Business
- Android Authority
Verizon is giving away free swag to mark its customer support upgrades — here's how to get in on it
Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority TL;DR Verizon is giving away free concert tickets, gift cards, and merchandise through the Verizon Access rewards platform. Until June 30, customers can also walk into a Verizon store nearby to pick up a freebie, which could include Verizon-branded water bottles, drawstring backpacks, or sunglasses. These gifts celebrate Verizon's overhaul of its customer service experience. Verizon is revamping its customer support experience, and to mark the occasion, it is offering free prizes through its Verizon Access rewards platform. Customers can score free tickets to concerts and events from Beyonce, Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, and more, and participate in giveaways to win gift cards and merchandise from Amazon, Disney, and Starz. If you have a Verizon store nearby, you can also drop by to pick up a freebie until June 30. We know from a previous leak that these freebies could include Verizon-branded water bottles, drawstring backpacks, and sunglasses. Beyond the freebies and gifts, Verizon is expanding its support call hours with live agents, although the company didn't share details on the new timing. There's also 24/7 live chat support, making it easier for you to get help whenever you need it. If you need even more help, there's also a 'Customer Champion' to ensure full resolution of your issue once you have called customer support. The Champion will keep you updated throughout the process via your medium of choice, be it the My Verizon app, text messages, or callbacks. This isn't an AI chatbot — Customer Champions are a team of people specially trained to see Verizon's most complicated customer issues resolved. The My Verizon app is also getting more AI features. The AI-powered Verizon Assistant and Savings Boost together give consumers the ability to manage upgrades, add new lines, ask billing questions, and take advantage of savings offers. If you need in-person support, Verizon claims to have the largest retail postpaid fleet in the industry. Over the last two years, the carrier has added close to 400 stores in the US, giving 93% of the country's population access to a nearby Verizon store within 30 minutes. Through these efforts, Verizon hopes to make your experience with the carrier simpler, faster, and more rewarding. Got a tip? Talk to us! Email our staff at Email our staff at news@ . You can stay anonymous or get credit for the info, it's your choice.
CBS News
24-06-2025
- CBS News
An NYC mom thought she was buying Billie Eilish concert tickets online. She wound up with a cautionary tale.
NYC mom shares cautionary tale after she thought she was buying concert tickets online NYC mom shares cautionary tale after she thought she was buying concert tickets online NYC mom shares cautionary tale after she thought she was buying concert tickets online A New York City mother said she paid hundreds for her girls to see pop star Billie Eilish on Long Island this fall, but instead of tickets, she got a costly lesson. Sadia Brangan said she couldn't find tickets on a trusted website like Ticketmaster. Her daughters, however, found what appeared to be another teen selling extra tickets online. A video posted on TikTok featured a young woman dancing, with the words "I'm selling 3 tickets for Billie Eilish" printed on the screen. "Everything, to me, seemed legitimate," Brangan said. Brangan's daughter messaged the account. "I said let's do [American Express], because AmEx has more protection for me," Brangan said. "Came back, no. She doesn't want AmEx. She needs to do Apple Cash." Using Apple Cash, the family sent $380 to one email address, and then $125 to another. "Go and get your lawyer" Suddenly, the seller refused to release any tickets, until she got more money. When the family asked for a refund, the seller replied "go and get your lawyer." CBS News New York tried calling and messaging the person selling the tickets, but got blocked. Brangan said she did not know who the seller is. "She's going to get more money out of other girls," Brangan said. Even if you have a name, it's risky to buy goods or services from a stranger online. Last month, CBS News New York reported on women who said they were ghosted after giving an influencer thousands for a course. The red flag in this case: The seller would only accept payment through Apple Cash or Zelle. Both companies say you should only use their digital payment platform with people that you know and trust. Once that money leaves your account, it's gone. A credit card typically offers more fraud protection than other payment methods. If you're a victim of fraud, you have 60 days to request a refund. Meanwhile, TikTok said it took down the video offering the sale of the tickets for violating its guidelines. You can find out more about that here.
The Independent
23-06-2025
- The Independent
Music fans urged to be wary of last-minute Glastonbury and Oasis ‘offers'
Music fans are being urged to be cautious about last-minute tickets for sale on social media as new figures reveal that £1.6 million was reported lost to ticket fraud last year. Fans hoping to attend eagerly-anticipated events such as Glastonbury and the Oasis reunion tour are being warned not to put themselves at risk of being scammed. The Government has issued the warning as part of its wider crackdown on scammers and online fraud. Action Fraud in 2024" data-source="Home Office/Action Fraud"> Action Fraud data released by the Home Office show people lost more than £1.6 million in scams related to concert tickets in 2024 – more than double the total recorded the previous year. Around 3,700 gig ticket fraud reports were made to Action Fraud in 2024, with nearly half referring to offers made on social media platforms. People aged in their 20s were most likely to become victims of ticket fraud last year, accounting for more than a quarter (27%) of victims, the figures indicate. The Government is urging people to follow the Stop! Think Fraud campaign advice to ensure they are protected from scams ahead of the busy summer of gigs and festivals. Fraud Minister Lord Hanson said: 'While millions of Britons are getting ready to attend concerts this summer, the scammers are getting ready to exploit the desperate search for tickets, posting fake messages on social media sites offering to resell tickets they can't use or making last-minute offers from fake ticket companies. 'That is why our campaign is called Stop! Think Fraud, so no matter how real a deal looks, we all need to take a moment to think: am I being ripped off? So, let's all stay cautious, stay alert and stay protected from fraud. Don't let the scammers ruin your summer.' Tor Garnett, commander for cyber and economic crime at City of London Police, said: 'People go to gigs for that 'once-in-a-lifetime' experience – especially at sold-out concerts and festivals, where the atmosphere is unmatched. 'But the excitement can vanish in an instant when fans discover their tickets are fake or they've been scammed through social media or resale sites. The loss isn't just financial – it's deeply emotional, turning anticipation into heartbreak. 'Key signs of ticket fraud include unsolicited messages with ticket offers and deals, or requests for payment via bank transfer.' Mike Andrews, national co-ordinator for the National Trading Standards e-crime team, said: 'Every summer, music fans desperate to see their favourite artists at festivals or stadium tours are left distraught and considerably out of pocket at the turnstiles as they discover the tickets they bought in good faith are in fact part of a fraudulent scam. 'Recent National Trading Standards prosecutions have led to serious jail time for ticket touts, which should send a message to all those who choose to engage in fraud that there are severe consequences.' Founder of face-value ticket resale platform Twickets Richard Davies said: 'We've seen first-hand how fraudsters attempt to exploit high-demand tours. 'In recent weeks alone, we've had to warn fans about multiple fake Twickets accounts and websites set up to trick Oasis fans into handing over money for non-existent tickets.' Andrew Parsons, managing director of Ticketmaster UK, said: 'The safest way to buy tickets is always through official channels – if you're unsure who that is, check the artist's official website as they'll always list legitimate sellers. A lot of fake tickets we see on the gates over summer are bought on social media. 'We hate having to turn fans away, so always avoid buying tickets from unofficial platforms or individuals, even if they seem genuine.' Here are some tips from the campaign for buying tickets safely: 1. If you are offered tickets for something in high demand, do not let fomo (fear of missing out) rush your decision. Take a moment to stop, think, and check if the offer is genuine. 2. Only buy tickets from the venue's box office or an official ticketing website. 3. Do not move away from an official payment platform to make a direct payment via bank transfer or virtual currency. Use the website's recommended payment methods to stay protected.
