Taylor Swift Ticket Heist: Two People Charged in $600K Eras Tour Scam!
If you thought scoring Eras Tour tickets was tough, imagine finding out yours were stolen! In a shocking turn of events, two individuals have been charged for allegedly swiping over 900 Taylor Swift tickets and reselling them for a jaw-dropping $600,000.
According to the Queens District Attorney’s Office, Tyrone Rose and Shamara Simmons were part of an elaborate ticket theft operation that exploited a vulnerability in an offshore ticket vendor linked to StubHub. Prosecutors say the duo accessed the company’s network, intercepted ticket URLs, and resold them to unsuspecting fans.
Authorities revealed that Rose and Simmons are part of a cybercrime ring, with ties to a third-party contractor, Sutherland, based in Kingston, Jamaica. Employees within the company reportedly had access to StubHub’s system, which allowed them to uncover a backdoor into the network where purchased tickets were stored before being emailed to buyers.
How They Pulled It Off
From June 2022 to July 2023, roughly 350 StubHub orders, amounting to nearly 1,000 tickets, were stolen. The perpetrators would download the stolen ticket URLs and resell them—sometimes back on StubHub itself. The resale profit was a staggering $600,000. And it wasn’t just Taylor Swift tickets—Adele, Ed Sheeran, NBA games, and even the US Open were also on their hit list.
The Legal Fallout
Rose and Simmons were officially charged on February 27 with grand larceny, computer tampering, and conspiracy. If convicted, they could face sentences ranging from three to 15 years in prison.
In her statement on the case, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz did not hold back, saying, “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.”
The Real Cost of Swift’s Eras Tour
With the Eras Tour being one of the biggest live events in history, it’s no surprise that criminals saw an opportunity to cash in. The average ticket price is a steep $529 according to ticketing company Victory Live. The most expensive cities for Swifties included Indianapolis ($3,071), Vancouver, Canada ($2,952), and Miami ($2,578).
Despite the scandal, Swift’s tour continues to break records. Over 21 months, Eras Tour ticket sales have raked in over $2 billion.
What’s Next?
While authorities continue to investigate, Swifties can only hope that justice is served and that no more stolen tickets find their way into the market. As for Rose and Simmons, they may soon find themselves facing the music.
