Ever since Ticketmaster suffered a data breach earlier in 2024, customers across the U.S. have said their tickets have been stolen right out of their accounts — and fans who had tickets to an upcoming MetLife Stadium concert say they fell victim to the hackers as well.
Brenda Azzolino, of Flemington, New Jersey, and her sister scooped up seats to Pink's record-breaking tour 10 months ago as a surprise for their mother. But in late September, Azzolino got an email that her tickets were being transferred, even though she didn’t authorize it.
"I was like, my tickets were gone. Someone took them out of my account," Azzolino told NBC New York.
She was not alone. Alexandra Passer said the same thing happened to her when she tried to buy tickets to Pink's show.
"On Saturday afternoon at 4:15 p.m., I randomly get an email...by 4:16 p.m., I get another email saying the transfer is complete," said Passer, of Demarest, New Jersey. "There’s been a lot of tears, it’s very frustrating. It's very upsetting."
Passer said she paid $1,275 in total for six tickets. After Azzolino learned she no longer had the tickets in her account, she bought new seats, but was looking for a refund of her original purchase of $428.
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"I just want my money back for the tickets that were stolen from my account," she said.
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Ticketmaster customers around the country have reported the same ongoing problem with the company.
When asked if the issue had anything to do with their data breach in the spring, which impacted more than 500,000,000 customers for Ticketmaster and its parent company Live Nation Entertainment, a company executive said the hack did not extend to impact log-ins.
"As serious as that was, there was no breach of the sign-in credentials," Dan Wall, the executive vice president of corporate and regulatory affairs for Live Nation, told NBC Chicago.
Ticketmaster described the incidents as “account takeovers” by scammers, using emails and passwords that have been compromised. The company has said they invest more in security and verification than the rest of the industry combined.
In a statement, Ticketmaster said in part "the top way fans can protect themselves is setting a strong unique password," adding that "scammers are looking for new cheats across every industry, and tickets will always be a target because they are valuable."
As for Passer and Azzolino, their issues were resolved. After NBC New York contacted Ticketmaster, Azzolino will be getting a full refund of $428, and Passer learned that Ticketmaster said she will have six floor seats to the concert.
