Consumers Report Stolen Concert Tickets Amid Ticketmaster Scam Investigation

In recent weeks, a number of consumers have come forward with claims that their concert tickets stored in Ticketmaster accounts have been unlawfully transferred and presumed stolen. The Action News Troubleshooters have been addressing these grievances, assisting individuals in retrieving their tickets.

Among those affected is Jennifer Powell from Clementon, Camden County, who faced a distressing situation when her tickets disappeared. Powell, an avid New Kids on the Block fan, had purchased eight tickets for their Las Vegas concert in September. Her panic ensued upon receiving an email notifying her of their transfer. “My heart dropped. I was on the phone with my cousin and I said, ‘I gotta go. My tickets are gone!'” Powell recounted.

Candy Aboelnour of Columbus, Burlington County, encountered a similar ordeal. Her daughter’s tickets for a Chase Atlantic concert were illegally transferred, causing distress for both mother and daughter. Despite attempts to resolve the issue with Ticketmaster directly, Aboelnour sought assistance from the Troubleshooters, who successfully restored the tickets.

According to Ticketmaster, their security measures allow for most tickets to be recovered in such scenarios. The company emphasizes the importance of maintaining strong, unique passwords for all accounts, particularly personal emails, to mitigate such security breaches. “The top way fans can protect themselves is to set a strong, unique password for all accounts,” a Ticketmaster representative stated.

The need for enhanced account security has been highlighted by a recent wave of scams. In Bladen County, North Carolina, the Sheriff’s Office is investigating reports of a nationwide scam involving Ticketmaster. The scam, reportedly beginning in April 2024, involves unauthorized transfers of purchased tickets by hackers, potentially for resale.

The Bladen County Sheriff’s Office advises all Ticketmaster users to verify the availability of their tickets and to update their passwords as a precautionary measure. This scam underscores the criticality of using strong passwords and enabling two-factor authentication, a feature recently added by Ticketmaster following a prior data security incident in 2023.