Unscrupulous Concert Ticket Intermediaries Accused of Breaking Sales Regulations

Federal Trade Commission Cracks Down on Maryland Ticket Broker for Alleged Unfair Practices

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has filed a lawsuit against a Maryland ticket broker operation, accused of using unfair methods to acquire tickets for highly sought-after events such as Taylor Swift's tour.

According to the FTC's complaint, the operation, which has been operating under names such as Epic Seats, TotalTickets.com LLC, and Totally Tix LLC, used fake accounts, virtual and traditional credit card numbers, proxy and spoofed IP addresses, and SIM boxes to evade Ticketmaster's restrictions.

The FTC alleges that the ticket broker purchased nearly 380,000 tickets in just over a year, spending close to $57 million, and then resold portions of those tickets for about $64 million. This generated millions in profits through hefty markups on the resold tickets.

The tactics used by this ticket broker are similar to those used in a previously mentioned Maryland ticket broker operation. The FTC's action against this operation reflects its ongoing efforts to ensure consumers have an opportunity to buy tickets at fair prices.

The operation's actions are alleged to have distorted fair competition, as tickets for Taylor Swift's Eras Tour were resold at prices significantly higher than seats for other events like Springsteen, Adele, Beyoncé, and the Super Bowl.

The FTC argues that these tactics violated both the FTC Act and the Better Online Ticket Sales (BOTS) Act, which prohibits the circumvention of technological controls designed to enforce ticket limits or preserve fair online purchasing rules.

The FTC's action against the Maryland ticket broker operation reflects its commitment to cracking down on practices that hurt consumers. The FTC's complaint against Key Investment Group does not mention any specific high-demand events like Taylor Swift's Eras Tour, but the tactics used are consistent with those used in the case involving the Eras Tour.

The FTC's action against Key Investment Group is part of its commitment to cracking down on practices that hurt consumers. The lawsuit alleges that the ticket broker unlawfully gamed Ticketmaster's security systems, and the FTC's action against Key Investment Group serves as a warning to ticket brokers that unlawful circumvention of ticket sellers' purchase limits will be addressed.

The search results do not contain information about the Maryland-based ticket broker accused by the FTC. The FTC's action against Key Investment Group is the latest in a series of actions taken by the agency to protect consumers from deceptive and unfair practices in the ticket resale market.

Unscrupulous Concert Ticket Intermediaries Accused of Breaking Sales Regulations