The Neva-York Prosecutor’s Office has uncovered a cybercrime operation in which a group of criminals stole and resold more than 900 electronic tickets for high-profile events, including Taylor Swift concerts, through the Stubhub platform. The scheme, operating at an international level, involved employees of the company in Jamaica who intercepted ticket URLs and sent them to accomplices in New York for resale at inflated prices.
From June 2022 to July 2023, the criminals raked in over $600,000 through this fraudulent activity. While most of the stolen tickets were for Taylor Swift’s ERAS tour, tickets for concerts by Adele and Ed Sheeran, NBA matches, and the US Open Tennis Championship were also illegally resold.
Authorities are still investigating the extent of the operation and the potential involvement of other individuals. Currently, two suspects, Tyrone Rose and Shamar Simmons, have been arrested and charged with large-scale theft, computer system hacking, and conspiracy.
Rose, a 20-year-old employee in Jamaica, redirected tickets to the email of Simmons, a 31-year-old accomplice in Kuins. Simmons was apprehended in New York and ordered to surrender his passport. Both defendants have pleaded not guilty and have been released pending the next court hearing on March 7th.
Stubhub detected the fraudulent activity independently, promptly informed law enforcement, and terminated its partnership with the contractor whose employees were involved in the criminal scheme. The company has bolstered its security measures and is ensuring that all affected customers receive either replacement tickets or full refunds.