INDIANAPOLIS — Taylor Swift fans are getting ready for three enchanted nights in Indy, but Swifties across the city are now unsure if they’ll be able to see the pop star.
“I’ve been trying to get tickets for Taylor Swift for two years,” Olivia Bonilla said.
Bonilla is planning on coming to Indy from California.
“I thought it would be so special to be able to go to one of the last U.S. shows,” Cecilia Cantineri said.
Cantineri had tickets to night two of three.
Both Swifties say their excitement dwindled when issues with tickets started earlier this month.
“They’re currently missing from my account,” Bonilla said.
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Bonilla says she bought her tickets from a seller in California. She met them in person and they gave her proof of purchase. She says issues with her account started after October 4, when TicketMaster halted ticket transfers to under 72 hours before shows in the remaining Eras Tour cities.
Bonilla has been locked out of her account and her tickets have disappeared and reappeared multiple times. Now, her account is empty.
“[They] just told me I need to wait and be patient and hear back from the fraud department,” Bonilla said.
Cantineri originally bought tickets for night one, but she needed a different night and transferred them to someone else.
“I unknowingly traded for stolen tickets," Cantineri said. "So, now two people have two sets of tickets that belong to me, and I have no tickets. That doesn’t make sense to me."
Cantineri says she’s happy the person whose tickets were stolen were restored but frustrated nothing can be done for her.
“My option is to buy $2,000 tickets or not go,” Cantineri said.
WRTV reached out to TicketMaster about recently reported issues with tickets. A spokesperson sent the following statement:
Overall, our digital ticketing innovations have greatly reduced fraud compared to the days of paper tickets and duplicated PDFs. Having that digital history is also how we are able to investigate the situation and restore fans’ tickets. The top way fans can protect themselves is by setting a strong unique password for all accounts – especially for their personal email which is where we often see security issues originate. Scammers are looking for new cheats across every industry, and tickets will always be a target because they are valuable, so Ticketmaster is constantly investing in new security enhancements to safeguard fans.
“If a cybercriminal can get a hold of them, they’re essentially putting forth very little effort with potential for high reward,” IU cybersecurity expert Isak Asare said.
Asare says it’s important for people to have strong passwords, not duplicate them, and use multi-factor authentication to keep accounts like TicketMaster safe.
On issues with TicketMaster the BBB says:
Taking proactive steps to protect your online accounts is essential. Regularly updating your passwords with strong, unique ones that are not reused across different platforms serves as a crucial first line of defense. It’s also important to monitor whether your information has been involved in any data breaches and, if so, take immediate action by updating your login credentials. For those using platforms like Ticketmaster, check your account frequently to ensure no unauthorized ticket transfers have occurred. Reporting suspicious activity as soon as possible may help increase the chances of recovering your tickets and prevent further issues.
