Ticketmaster customers, check your tickets. People are reporting concert tickets stolen from their accounts. Heather Walker of 7 is investigating.

If you’re a Swiftie, you know how difficult and expensive it can be to get a ticket to a Taylor Swift concert.

Bill Duffy, Ticketmaster Tickets: “It wasn’t so much the money, but the question: How do you explain to your daughter that her tickets are gone?” You know, she’s eight. How does she accept this?”

Bill Duffy spent $12,000 on four tickets to the Oct. 18 show at Hard Rock Stadium almost a year ago, and then they disappeared earlier this month.

Bill Duffy: “You’re panicking. To be honest”

Layla Alfano had the same feeling when it happened to her.

Layla Alfano: “I was like, ‘Oh my God, my tickets are gone.’ Then I, you know, panicked a little bit, like my stomach just dropped. How does this happen?”

She bought tickets for herself and her boyfriend to the Stars and Strings concert at Hard Rock Live. They booked a room at the Hard Rock Hotel, made dinner reservations, and then this happened.

Layla Alfano: “Transfer initiated. Transfer accepted, transfer initiated, transfer accepted, and the first name was “Hi” and the last name was “Bye.”

Both Layla and Bill had their tickets transferred from their Ticketmaster accounts without their permission.

Layla Alfano: “I really thought it was a mistake.”

After a quick search online, they learned it was intentional and they were not alone.

Hundreds of people across the country are posting on Ticketmaster social media that their tickets have been stolen and asking for help.

Bill Duffy: “I immediately started changing passwords, you know, just don’t really know what to do. I contacted Ticketmaster, you know, at 9 a.m. when they opened and, you know, explained the situation to them. They said it would take five to seven business days to get to you and that was it.”

Layla Alfano: “I contacted FTC. I have contacted the Florida Attorney General and the FBI Crime Stoppers.”

Both didn’t help.

Layla Alfano: “I was devastated. I was really, really upset.”

Bill couldn’t believe he had to disappoint his daughter and miss their first big concert together.

Bill Duffy: “As a father, I had to look her in the eyes and say, ‘Hey, the tickets are gone.’ I don’t know what to do.’”

As a last-ditch effort, he and Layla turned to 7Investigates. We contacted Ticketmaster and within a few hours the tickets were restored.

Bill Duffy: “I’m just grateful that you guys came forward and were able to fix the situation because I was grasping at straws.”

So how did this happen?

Ticketmaster tells 7Investigates that “scammers are accessing fans’ email accounts.” The best protection “is to set a strong, unique password.”

According to Ticketmaster, “no passwords were exposed” in the company’s data breach earlier this year. If your tickets disappear, Ticketmaster says, “Contact the fan support team.”

Bill Duffy: “There has to be a better way to deal with situations like this.”

Bill had to contact us again because his tickets were stolen for the second time three days after he got them back.

Bill Duffy: “I think it’s a shame, you know, as a big conglomerate like Ticketmaster I would hope that they would treat people better.”

The whole ordeal is causing bad blood between Ticketmaster and its customers.

Heather Walker, 7News

CONTACT 7 INVESTIGATED:
305-627-CLUE
954-921-CLUE
[email protected]

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