Hackers Stole Hundreds of Taylor Swift Tour Tickets Through StubHub Loophole and Sold Them for Thousands: Police

Two people have been arrested in connection with a cybercrime scheme that stole nearly 1,000 event tickets—mostly for Taylor Swift's Eras Tour—through a loophole in StubHub.

Tyrone Rose, 20, of Kingston, Jamaica, and Shamara Simmons, 31, of Queens, New York, were charged with grand larceny, conspiracy, and computer tampering for their roles in the operation that brought in over $600,000, according to the Queens District Attorney's Office.

Authorities say Rose and another accomplice in Jamaica, working for a third-party StubHub contractor, redirected ticket URLs meant for legitimate buyers and sent them to Simmons in New York, NBC reported. Simmons and another individual, who has since died, then downloaded the tickets and resold them on StubHub.

Between June 2022 and July 2023, the group hijacked around 350 StubHub orders, affecting major events beyond Swift's record-breaking tour, including concerts by Adele and Ed Sheeran, as well as NBA games and the U.S. Open Tennis Championships.

StubHub flagged the fraud, alerting authorities and cutting ties with the compromised third-party vendor.

"StubHub has since replaced or refunded all identified orders impacted and strengthened security measures to further protect our fans and sellers," Mark Streams, StubHub's chief legal officer said.

Rose and Simmons were arraigned in New York last week, though their attorneys have not publicly commented on the case.