A cybercrime group allegedly stole and resold almost 1,000 tickets for Taylor Swift concerts and other sought-after events via StubHub.
Queens County District Attorney Melinda Katz told prosecutors in New York earlier this week that the international scam involved people working in Jamaica for a firm contracted by the online ticket marketplace.
The workers stole the URLs of tickets purchased on StubHub and emailed them to others in New York, who downloaded and resold the tickets on StubHub at extortionate prices according to Katz.
Between June 2022 and July 2023, it is said that the crew brought in more than $635,000 (£493,000/€587,000) by intercepting roughly 350 StubHub orders for around 993 tickets.
Most tickets were for Swift’s Eras Tour, but passes were also stolen for concerts from Adele and Ed Sheeran, as well as National Basketball Association (NBA) games and the US Open Tennis Championships.
Reports added that two of those involved were recently arrested and charged with grand larceny, computer tampering and conspiracy charges.
Tyrone Rose, 20, of Kingston, Jamaica and Shamara Simmons, 31, of the New York City neighbourhood of Jamaica, Queens were arrested in late February.
Rose worked for an outsourcing company in Kingston called Sutherland Global Services (SGS) which was contracted by StubHub, according to the criminal complaint.
In a statement provided to TheTicketingBusiness, Mark Streams, chief legal officer at StubHub said: “At StubHub, ensuring a safe and secure platform for our fans is our highest priority. Upon discovering this criminal scheme, we immediately reported it to the third-party customer service vendor, Sutherland Global Services (SGS), as well as to the Queens District Attorney’s Office and Jamaican law enforcement.
“The individuals involved, employees of SGS, exploited a system vulnerability to fraudulently resell tickets. They were swiftly identified and terminated.
“StubHub has since replaced or refunded all identified orders impacted and strengthened security measures to further protect our fans and sellers. We appreciate the efforts of District Attorney Melinda Katz and law enforcement in bringing these individuals to justice.”
StubHub has also terminated its relationship with SGS.
Share this