Ticketmaster Faces Criticism Over Disappearing Tickets Amid Security Concerns

DENVER — Ticketmaster is currently under criticism from concertgoers who claim their purchased tickets are disappearing from their accounts, only to reappear in accounts of strangers, sometimes in different countries. This situation has caused significant distress among fans, including Denver resident Annette Barsick, who faced a similar issue, putting her 30th wedding anniversary celebrations at risk.

Barsick had meticulously planned the anniversary trip as a memorable occasion, purchasing tickets to watch their favorite artists, the Eagles and Garth Brooks, perform in Las Vegas. This trip carried substantial sentimental value, as the couple was married in Las Vegas three decades ago. The couple invested thousands of dollars in travel arrangements, including flights, accommodation, and car rental.

“This is very extravagant for us,” said Barsick. “But I was just like, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime trip. Let’s just, let’s do it.” However, Barsick’s plans turned into a nightmare when she received 15 emails from Ticketmaster one morning, indicating that her tickets had been transferred to an unknown individual named “Jack” in Amsterdam.

“I looked in my Apple Wallet, and my tickets were gone. I was like, wait, what? I immediately checked my Ticketmaster account, and sure enough, my tickets were claimed by some stranger,” Barsick explained. Upon contacting Ticketmaster, she discovered she was not alone. Barsick noted that a representative informed her of numerous similar incidents reported in recent weeks.

The representative attributed the problem to scammers hacking into email accounts and transferring the tickets fraudulently. While she was promised a resolution within 10 to 48 hours, four days had passed with no updates or recovered tickets, leading to increasing anxiety as the travel date loomed.

“It took two minutes for this scammer to take my tickets. It should take two minutes for Ticketmaster to see this and put them back in my account,” Barsick voiced her frustration. Ticketmaster, in a statement to 9NEWS, advised fans to reinforce their account security by setting strong and unique passwords, particularly for their email accounts.

“The top way fans can protect themselves is by setting a strong, unique password for all accounts—especially for their personal email, which is where we often see security issues originate,” Ticketmaster stated, highlighting their ongoing investment in security enhancements.

Despite reassurances, Barsick remains skeptical, pointing to other companies that implement better security measures such as two-factor authentication. “All they had to do was text me and ask, ‘Was I trying to transfer these tickets?’ They’re allowing this to happen, they know it’s happening, and they’re not doing enough to make the security better,” she remarked.

Amid escalating concern, the price for Eagles tickets purchased originally during a presale has significantly increased, rendering Barsick unable to afford them again if issued a refund. Fortunately, following media intervention, Ticketmaster restored Barsick’s tickets.

Although Barsick will now keep her anniversary plans, she expresses strong reluctance about future dealings with Ticketmaster, hoping to raise awareness among others to maintain vigilance concerning account security.