Leadership / 11.21.19

Touts Used False IDs and Bots to Harvest Tickets, Court Hears

Access Staff

The Guardian (11/14/19) Davies, Rob

A U.K. court has heard the case against two online ticket scalpers charged with using false identities and bots to appropriate and sell event tickets for millions via websites such as Viagogo. Attorneys acting on behalf of National Trading Standards told a jury that Peter Hunter and David Smith attempted to "milk profit" from fans by reselling tickets for Ed Sheeran performances, the Chelsea flower show, and the play "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" at inflated prices. Hunter and Smith, who traded as Ticket Wiz and BZZ from their shared London residence, are accused of fraudulent trading and possessing articles for fraud. "An inevitable consequence of their behavior was that they reduced the number of face-value tickets that were available to purchase," said prosecuting lawyer Jonathan Sandiford. The prosecution said the pair used not only ticket-harvesting bots, but also a specialist browser called Insomniac, which let them masquerade as multiple consumers. Hunter and Smith allegedly bought £4 million ($5.1 million) in tickets and resold them for £10.8 ($13.9 million) over two-and-a-half years. They also are charged with using credit cards in different names and employing staff to maximize the number of tickets they could secure, exceeding limits on the number that could be sold to individuals. Sandiford argued that Hunter and Smith basically "manipulated the market against consumers," charging inflated prices through the major secondary ticket companies.

Read the full article from The Guardian. 

Tags: Reselling , Bots , Regulations , News , Secondary Ticketing