EXCLUSIVEAussie music fan issues grave Ticketek warning after she was scammed out of Olivia Rodrigo tickets just days before the concert
An Aussie music fan has been left heartbroken after she discovered her Olivia Rodrigo tickets had been resold by scammers just days before the concert.
An Aussie music fan has been left heartbroken after she discovered her Olivia Rodrigo tickets had been resold by scammers just days before the concert.
Hayley Flude, 23, said she bought tickets May to the pop superstars Sydney show as part of the Australian leg of her GUTS tour, which has now sold out.
Ms Flude said she first realised her account had been hacked this week when she received a Ticketek Marketplace email confirming a listing. The Marketplace feature allows users to on-sell tickets if, for example, they can no longer attend a show.
Despite immediately trying to log into her Ticketek account to check why her tickets were being listed without her permission, she said the website required her to wait.
I couldnt get into Marketplace to take them down before they were sold as there is a virtual queue that takes several minutes to enter the site, Ms Flude told Daily Mail Australia.
When she finally logged she found her email address and phone number had been altered by one character and her bank details had been changed to an account controlled by the hacker.
I had two tickets which were over $200 each and the only way to get more is by spending all day refreshing Marketplace hoping you are the first person to click on a new listing, the music fan said.
Other Ticketek customers have complained of the same issue following a cyber breach earlier this year in which millions of customers had their personal information stolen.
Hayley Flude (pictured) said she first realised something was amiss when she got a notification that her Olivia Rodrigo tickets were being listed for sale, the first shed heard about it
The Good 4 U hitmaker is in Australia for the first time and is playing a run of shows in Melbourne and Sydney (pictured, Olivia Rodrigo performs in California)
Others have pointed out tickets can be sold through the Marketplace feature with no Two-Factor Authentication - a second layer of security, such as sending a pin number to the account holders phone to authorise the sale.
Although they state that no Ticketek customer accounts have been compromised, there is no other way for the hacker to get into my account, Ms Flude claimed.
There is also no 2FA when logging in or changing user information or bank details. I feel severely disappointed and frustrated at Ticketek due to the lack of security measures in place.
Ticketek said in response to the breach that it had become aware of a cyber incident impacting Ticketek Australia account holder information, which is stored in a cloud-based platform, hosted by a reputable, global third party supplier.
It said customer names, dates of birth and email addresses may have been impacted but assured customers Ticketek has secure encryption methods in place for all passwords and no Ticketek customer account has been compromised.
Additionally, Ticketek utilises secure encryption methods for online payments and uses a separate system to process online payments, which has not been impacted. Ticketek does not hold identity documents for its customers, it said.
The GUTS international tour marks Olivia Rodrigos first shows in Australia since the release of her debut album in 2021.
Ms Flude (pictured) said she first realised her account had been hacked this week when she received a Ticketek Marketplace email confirming a listing of her tickets
Ticketek revealed it suffered a cyber breach earlier this year but said accounts were secure
The Grammy winner performed at Melbournes Rod Laver Arena on Wednesday night and has another three shows on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights.
The popstar then travels to Sydney for four shows at the Qudos Bank Arena on October 17, 18, 21 and 22.
Ticketek told Daily Mail Australia that Australia is currently a global hot spot for account phishing and scams across all e-commerce businesses.
Ticketek is aware of unauthorised access to individual accounts via credentials that have been stolen as a result of other third-party data breaches, a spokesperson said.
We would also like to reiterate that Ticketek accounts or individual data has not been compromised.
In the best interest of all our clients, we would like to remind fans to remain vigilant by changing or updating their passwords to safeguard their interests.
If customers believe that theyve had stolen or misappropriated property, and the resale of their tickets was fraudulent, customers should immediately file a police report and contact Ticketek customer service so we can commence an investigation.
If the original ticket holder can demonstrate that: they originally purchased the tickets, their information has been legitimately compromised; and the sale was fraudulent; Ticketek will work with the customer to resolve the issue.
