© Reuters.
By Jonathan Stempel NEW YORK (Reuters) – Three US ticket brokers have agreed to settle civil charges for misleading consumers by illegally buying tens of thousands of tickets to concerts, theater, sports and other events, and reselling them at substantial margins. The settlements totaling $ 35.3 million with Just In Time Tickets Inc, Concert Specials Inc, Cartisim Corp, all based in Great Neck, New York, and their owners were announced Friday by the US Department of Justice. And the Federal Trade Commission. The settlements resolved the first enforcement actions under the Best Online Ticket Sales Act, a 2016 law that prohibits the use of “bots” and other means to circumvent event ticket purchase limits imposed by online sellers. Authorities said the defendants had purchased more than 155,000 tickets since 2017 through Ticketmaster, a unit of Live Nation Entertainment (NYSE 🙂 Inc, and generated more than $ 26.1 million in resale revenue, often at significant margins. . The brokers were accused of creating fake accounts, including under fictitious names, using hundreds of credit cards, and deploying automated software to thwart Ticketmaster’s efforts to block multiple accounts and non-human buyers. “Those who violate the BOTS Act deceive the fans,” said Seth DuCharme, the acting US attorney in Brooklyn, in a statement. Under the settlements, the defendants will pay $ 3.7 million and were fined $ 31.6 million in total. Fines will not be collected if defendants meet multiple conditions. Attorneys for the defendants did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
