Reports claim a cybercrime crew stole and resold nearly 1,000 Taylor Swift’s concert tickets. Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz further stated the ticket URLs were stolen by a pair of StubHub subcontractors. The pair were working for a third-party firm, Sutherland.
What happened to the stolen Taylor Swift Eras Tour tickets?
A cybercrime crew stole and resold Taylor Swift‘s Eras Tour tickets. As per Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz, the crew stole over 993 tickets and resold them on StubHub, amassing approximately over $635,000. The theft took place between June 2022 and July 2023.
The District Attorney further explained the operation of the reported theft. According to Katz’ office, two StubHub subcontractors working for a third-party firm called Sutherland in Kingston, Jamaica, took the ticket URLs and emailed them to their co-conspirators in Queens.
Apart from Taylor Swift’s concert tickets, the crew also resold tickets for Adele and Ed Sheeran concerts, NBA games, and the U.S. Open Tennis Championships. The attorney’s office has identified two of the co-conspirators, Tyrone Rose and Shamara Simmons.
Both the accused people have faced arrest. Their charges include grand larceny in the second degree, conspiracy in the fourth degree, and computer tampering in the first and fourth degrees.
As per the latest update from the prosecutors, Rose and Simmons have pleaded “not guilty.” They will appear before the court again on March 7. The attorney’s office further revealed that the duo had an alleged accomplice. But the third individual has since passed away.
The district attorney explained, “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 expense 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.”
Stubhub has also released a separate statement regarding the third-party firm. The ticketing platform noted: “StubHub has since replaced or refunded all identified orders impacted.” Their official statement also reassured on strengthening security measures to further protect our fans and sellers.”
