taylor swift
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Tickets for Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour are being protected by some of the most advanced ticketing technology ever created, but it’s done little to stop some Swifties from falling victim to fraud.
With what’s likely to be the year’s most in-demand tour has come a wave of online scams that mix high-tech identity theft with low-tech social engineering to target frustrated fans unable to buy tickets during the initial sale in November. Now ticket prices are going for up to 10-times face value on secondary sites and many fans are desperately looking for more affordable options. That’s also leaving them vulnerable to too-good-to-be-true swindlers selling fake tickets. In many cases, the fans don’t even realize they were ripped off until they get to the show.
Nationwide, consumer fraud was up 30% in 2022 over 2021, according to the Federal Trade Commission, costing consumers $8.8 billion. Fake ticket scams fall under what the FTC labels as “imposter scams,” second in total cost only to investor scams according to the FTC, which notes that individuals aged 30-39 are the most likely to be defrauded in 2023 with social media sites listed as the most common place where fraud occurs. The targeting of Taylor Swift fans and offering cheap tickets the seller doesn’t have (and then disappearing on the buyer after they send over the money) is in part due to enormous publicity around the tour and the huge demand for tickets and low supply.
“Con artists will seize any opportunity to rip people off and as soon as the tours for Taylor Swift or artists Beyoncé or The Cure were even announced, scammers trying to figure out ways to capitalize on people’s desperation to get tickets,” says Teresa Murray, a consumer watchdog with the Denver-based Public Interest Research Group. Murray says her group saw an uptick in forged barcodes, fake websites and spoofs on legitimate sights like StubHub and Ticketmaster popping up hoping to profit off the frenzy around the Eras tour.
Fans who have fallen victim to Taylor Swift ticket fraud often say they are lured into the scam through a post on Facebook, listed on regional group pages from seemingly legitimate accounts offering to sell tickets for an upcoming Swift show below the current asking price on secondary ticket markets.
“When you have people who are desperate [to buy tickets] and vulnerable to fraud, they tend to suspend their common sense and make decisions they wouldn’t normally make,” says Murray, adding that this type of fraud is perpetrated by both “people living in their mom’s basement” and sophisticated criminal groups operating in an organized manner.
What victims do not realize is that instead of talking to person living in their city, they are often talking to a hacker who has recently taken over someone’s Facebook account to appear like a real person with ties in the community. After some back and forth, the scammer convinces the victim to send them money though a cash app like Venmo or Zelle in exchange for tickets that either never arrive or are obvious fakes.
This increase in fraud is happening against a backdrop of transformative technology at Ticketmaster, deployed at a large scale for the Eras tour with the potential to drastically reduce and even eliminate most instances of ticket fraud. Whereas it used to be fraudsters could buy a print-at-home ticket and then sell multiple copies of that, Ticketmaster is now employing its Safetix technology for Swift’s tour and others to issue digital tickets that live exclusively within the Ticketmaster app and are impossible to duplicate in this way. Safetix creates an entire digital ecosystem around the life of the ticket, from its original purchase, through resale and up until the ticket is redeemed on the night of the show. The scam Swift fans describe operates completely outside of that ecosystem, without any protections for consumers.
For scammers, demanding payment upfront is a low-tech way to defeat an otherwise sophisticated security system. The only way to curb this type of fraud, Murray says, is to educate fans on how digital tickets work. Much of Ticketmaster’s consumer education efforts have focused on Swift fans who successfully bought tickets and need to know how to load tickets into their accounts, transfer them to friends and redeem the tickets on show night. While this effort to educate fans is important, it does little to inform fans who were unable to buy during the public sale so that they are better equipped to avoid being sold fake tickets when they attempt to buy secondary tickets
Murray recommends only purchasing resale tickets from official sellers with a clearly visible fan guarantee listed on their site, to only use credit cards (not debit cards) and to match up the seats being sold with a seat map of the venue to verify the seats and rows actually exist.
“Often times the con artists don’t bother to check if the seating section, row and seat numbers they claim to hold tickets for actually exist on a seat map,” Murray says. “A little research on your own might help you determine if the tickets being offered actually exist.”
Taylor Swift‘s Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) rollout has been nothing short of enchanting so far. The superstar’s official Taylor Nation Twitter page revealed on Thursday (May 18) that the vinyl for the upcoming re-recording of Swift’s 2010 album is available for pre-order at Target. The vinyl perfectly fits the Speak Now color scheme with a […]
All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, Billboard may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes. The cat’s out of the bag. We finally know the identity of that mysterious book that hit No. 1 on Amazon […]
Kelly Clarkson shared a statement through social media following a Rolling Stone report that claims the daytime program’s producers “overworked” and “underpaid” crew members. Morgan Wallen nabs 10th week at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and becomes the only act with at least two country albums to have spent 10 or more weeks at No. 1 and more!
Tetris KellyI’m Tetris Kelly for Billboard News, and it’s Monday, May 15.
Tetris Kelly 0:23While we’ve got some amazing tours making their way around the world, they don’t come easy. Taylor and her security have ‘Bad Blood,’ Beyoncé draws a big crowd and Suga gets a surprise guest — it’s been an interesting few days on the road and we’re breaking down all your tour updates. Taylor Swift had “bad blood” with her security after they apparently were being too aggressive with fans and she had to address the guard live on mic.
Tetris Kelly 1 1:02The guard was apparently escorted out and fans were given tickets to come back to the next show. Meanwhile, Beyoncé’s Renaissance Tour is in full swing, and she’s breaking records. She reportedly records the largest audience this century for female artists at Belgium’s King Baudouin stadium with a reported attendance of 53,000 fans.
Tetris Kelly 1:27Here in the States, SUGA is on tour with his persona Agust D, and Halsey showed her BTS brother some love by joining him for SUGA’s interlude.
Tetris Kelly 1:43Now onto Kelly Clarkson. She’s got the top show in daytime, but it sounds like her employees aren’t having as much fun as the viewers are. Kelly Clarkson took to social media over the weekend to address allegations of a toxic work environment.
Tetris Kelly 2:05Kelly Clarkson shared a statement over social media following a report that claims the daytime talk shows producers overworked and underpaid crew members. The report also claims employees alleged that working on the show was traumatizing to their mental health and noted that Kelly herself is fantastic and has no clue how unhappy her staff is. Kelly’s statement reads: “In my 20 years in the entertainment industry, I’ve always led with my heart and what I believed to be right. I love my team at The Kelly Clarkson Show, and to find out that anyone is feeling unheard and or disrespected on this show is unacceptable. I have always been, and will continue to be, committed to creating and maintaining a safe and healthy environment at The Kelly Clarkson Show. As we prepare for a move to the East Coast, I am more committed than ever to ensuring that not only our team that is moving, but also our new team in NY, is comprised of the best and kindest in the business.”
This fall, production of The Kelly Clarkson Show will move from LA to New York City, where the show will enter its fifth season.
Tetris Kelly 3:09We’re in the homestretch of this year’s NBA season. And you know musicians love to sit courtside. So who are your favorite artists rooting for?
Raina Aniftos 3:16I’m outside the Crypto.com Arena, where the Los Angeles Lakers are in the midst of the NBA Playoffs. You can always find a celebrity or two sitting front row at NBA games, from K-pop idols to the biggest pop stars and all your favorite rappers, but which artists go the hardest for their NBA team? Let’s start with one of the biggest Lakers fans around, a rapper who you can always find courtside at Crypto.com Arena, LA born and bred Snoop Dogg. He even has a Funko Pop with him in a Lakers jersey.
Raina Aniftos 3:46Drake is also a huge NBA fan and he’s even referenced some players in his lyrics. You can always find him on the sidelines cheering on his hometown team, the Toronto Raptors. In 2013, Drake was even named a global ambassador of the team.
Raina Aniftos 4:06Music’s favorite couple Beyoncé and Jay-Z have been seen sitting on the sidelines of many NBA games together, but they’re actually super fans of separate NBA teams. Beyoncé has shown support for her hometown team the Houston Rockets, while Jay Z is a proud born and bred New Yorker. Jay even bought the New Jersey Nets and moved the team to Brooklyn.
Raina Aniftos 4:38Another Texas native who is no stranger to the NBA sidelines is Selena Gomez. Selena is a fan of the San Antonio Spurs, and images of her sitting front row have even turned into popular GIFs for Spurs fans.
Raina Aniftos 4:52Now heading down to South Beach where DJ Khaled is a massive fan of the Miami Heat, even claiming he wanted to buy the team back in 2016. As the playoffs continue, may the best team win!
Tetris Kelly 5:04It’s time to run down the charts, and this week we’ve got some new entries on the Hot 100 and Billboard 200. Morgan Wallen joins the ranks of Whitney Houston and Adele, while Ed Sheeran returns to the charts. Morgan Wallen stays on top of the Hot 100 and Billboard 200. His album ‘One thing At A Time’ spends its 10th consecutive week at No. 1 and is the second album to do so, matching a feat only achieved by Adele, Whitney Houston, The Monkees and the Kingston Trio. Ed Sheeran comes in at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 ‘Subtract’ is his sixth top 10 album. Also in the top 10, K-pop group LE SSERAFIM’s ‘Unforgiven’ debuts at No. 6. It’s the group’s second charting project and their first top 10. Speaking of top 10s, shout out to Toosii for climbing up to No. 8 with ‘Favorite Song.’ It’s the rapper’s first Hot 100 Top 10 hit.
Tetris Kelly 6:46That’s it for today. Come back manaña for our interview with Myke Towers, and we run down the top trending songs of the week. I’m Tetris Kelly and this is Billboard News.
All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, Billboard may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes.
Taylor Swift hit the town in a $200 dress that’s perfect for spring and summer. For Swifties who can’t get enough of the “Anti-hero” singer’s style, we searched the web to find a few alternatives to the dress that she wore last week during an outing at New York City’s Casa Cipriani with rumored new beau Matt Healey.
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The Deon Sofia Dress ($198) worn by Swift is available in yellow, blue and pink and sizes XXS-XXL. Made from a blend of cotton and viscose, the stylish dress features a fitted bodice with decorative tie, short puffed sleeves and a shovel-shape neckline.
It’s no secret that Swift loves a long, flowing comfortable dress. The Grammy-winning singer-songwriter has worn several boho-style maxi dresses during her Eras Tour.
Doen
Doen Sofia Dress
$198 (click to join waitlist)
Unfortunately, the Sofia dress sold out in all three colors — but you can click the buy button above to join the waitlist to be notified when the dress is back in stock. In the meantime, check below for affordable alternatives to shop.
Taylor Swift’s Yellow Floral Dress — How to Shop the Look
This floral dress from Amazon is a perfect dupe of Swift’s outfit — and it’s more than half the price. The dress is available in sizes S-XL and eight colors, including yellow, black floral, green and red.
Amazon
Floerns Women’s Ditsy Floral Sweetheart Puff Sleeve A Line Midi Dress Yellow M
$38.99
For more floral options, this adorable Flutter Sleeve Plissé Midi Dress retails for just $79 at Nordstrom. The cute dress has layered ruffled sleeves, plissé pleats and smocked waist. Another great option, this smocked dress from Lulu’s ($96) serves up a similar design to Swift’s dress at a fraction of the price.
When it comes to fashion, Swift is great at blending high and low pieces like the Rebecca Minkoff Mara Saddle Bag that she wore during another NYC outing.
The bag is no longer available at Rebecca Minkoff, but you can find it on resale sites such as eBay, Poshmark and sites that you might not expect, like Costco.com, or shop alternatives like the bag pictured below (it’ll look cute with your new floral dress too).
Amazon
KKXIU Casual Flap Saddle Crossbody Bags for Women Purses and Handbags with Tassel (Z-Black)
$26.99 $39.99 33% OFF
This faux-leather saddle bag can be worn as an everyday bag or for special occasions. The purse is available in a ton of colors, including black, brown, grey, pink and yellow.
05/14/2023
A ‘Fearless’ track becomes a special request from a famous friend, Taylor tears up a bit, and more memorable moments from May 13 in Philly.
05/14/2023
It’s Friday and we’ve got some new music for you to jam to! Keke Palmer, Bailey Zimmerman, Jonas Brothers, and YoungBoy Never Broke Again all released albums, with Janelle Monáe releasing a new track titled ‘Lipstick Lover’. We spent a day with the guys of ENHYPEN at We Bridge Festival 2023 in Vegas! Jimmie Allen has been suspended by his label following a sexual assault lawsuit from an ex-manager, and more.
Tetris Kelly 0:00We go on tour with ENHYPEN, relationship updates on Tay, Riri, and Shakira. It’s new music Friday, Jimmy Allen is suspended from his label. And what is everyone up to on Mother’s Day? Welcome back. For Billboard News, it’s Friday, May 12th. And it may almost be the weekend, but first we have your Friday music guide.
Tetris Kelly 0:27She’s a singer, she’s an actress. She’s mother, baby. This is Keke Palmer. Keke not only dropped an album called ‘Big Boss,’ she gave us an entire film to accompany it
Tetris Kelly 0:42I take you to Vegas where I got to hang out with ENHYPEN and learn how they prepare for putting on a show, and boy did they put on a show. This is Tour Stop
Jake 0:54Vegas is amazing
Jay 0:58Appreciate you, let’s get it!
ENHYPEN 1:00Hello we are ENHYPEN! Thanks for tuning in to our Tour Stop.
Tetris Kelly 1:12What’s some of the things you guys do before you go on stage like how do you get ready
Tetris Kelly 1:25Well who do you think takes the longest to get ready?
Tetris Kelly 1:35The high touch I’ve never seen that before. So tell me how that is to meet your ENGENEs and stuff and do the high touch.
Fans 1:50Right now I just met them. I blacked out. I love ENHYPEN so much because they really helped me. I love ENHYPEN so much because they’re so hardworking and talented.
Jake 2:34Thank you Billboard for hanging out with us
Tetris Kelly 2:43Bailey Zimmerman drops his much anticipated debut album and it’s a religious experience.
Tetris Kelly 2:55We’ll have more new releases throughout the show, but let’s get to our lead story. Country star Jimmy Allen is facing sexual assault allegations and has been suspended from his label in a civil lawsuit filed Thursday in Tennessee federal court. An anonymous accuser says that Allen manipulated and used his power over her job to sexually harass and abuse her over a period of 18 months from 2020 to 2022. Hours after news broke of the allegations, Allen’s record label suspended the artist, saying in a statement in light of today’s allegations against Jimmy Allen, BBR Music Group has decided to suspend all activity with him effective immediately. This suspension includes ceasing radio promotion on his current single ‘Be All Right,’ which climbs 59 and 57 on the Billboard Country Airplay chart dated May 13. Additionally, Allen has also been removed from the performer lineup for this year’s CMA Fest. In a statement to Billboard the country singer admitted to a sexual relationship with this accuser, but denied all allegations of wrongdoing, saying in part, I’ve worked incredibly hard to build my career, and I intend to mount a vigorous defense to her claims and take all other legal action necessary to protect my reputation.
Tetris Kelly 4:01The Jonas Brothers are officially back with ‘The Album.’ It’s their first album in four years and they’re ready to take on the world when they go on tour in August.
Tetris Kelly 4:20Taylor and 1989 — I mean 1975 — Shakira and Lewis Hamilton, Rihanna and A$AP’s baby’s name — relationships are relationshipping and we’re catching you up. After Taylor has been slaying on her Eras Tour, she’s also been rumored to be dating 1975 frontman Matt Healy. After splitting from boyfriend Joe Alwyn, a Swiftie’s dad photographed the two holding hands in a restaurant, which sent the fandom into a heated debate about whether he’s right for Miss Americana. Meanwhile, after splitting from Gerard Pique, Shakira was spotted hanging out with British race car driver Louis Hamilton. And almost exactly a year after Rihanna and A$AP Rocky son was born. His name has reportedly been revealed to be RZA a possible tribute to the legendary rapper producer and Wu Tang Clan frontman
Tetris Kelly 5:17Young Boy Never Broke Again dropped a project and it’s his richest opp.
Tetris Kelly 5:26Sunday is Mother’s Day and if you are wondering what some of your faves have planned, we’ve got you covered
Evaluna 6:27A song that reminds me of my motherhood would have to be ‘Indigo,’ the song that I sing with my husband because that was obviously the song that we dedicated to her and it’s kind of like the song that we played for her during my whole pregnancy and then when she was born, and so it’s a special one. And with my mom, I’d have to say Shania Twain, ‘looks like we made it’ — what’s that? What’s the name of it? ‘Look how far we’ve come my baby.’ ‘Still the One’!
Elena Rose 7:14A song that reminds me of my mom is any Cheyenne song big fan anytime on song is like Oh, my mom
Tetris Kelly 8:24That’s today’s show but before we go let me leave you with one last entry for your Friday music guide. Janelle Monae has given us Lipstick Lover with a sensual music video to go with it
Cole Swindell is happily engaged to his girlfriend Courtney Little — but the process of getting a ring on her finger got a little stressful. The country music superstar sat down with Audacy’s Katie & Company, where he revealed that he got stuck in traffic while picking up the ring, all thanks to Taylor Swift‘s The Eras […]
It’s official: Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) is on the way. Taylor Swift revealed during her first of three shows at Nashville’s Nissan Stadium on Friday night (May 5) that her 2010 third studio album will be her next re-recorded release, out July 7.
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All of Swift’s fans got to enjoy the announcement too, because the Taylor Nation Instagram account went live from the concert for the onstage moment. She directed fans’ attention to the screens around the stadium, which read: “Speak Now. Taylor’s Version. Available July 7.”
Swifties already noticed that something was up last Sunday, when the light-up wristbands given to the Eras Tour attendees at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium turned purple at the end of the show. Purple is the color that represents Speak Now, which fans have long speculated would be the next re-recording. To celebrate the announcement, Nashville’s John Seigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge also changed its lights to a bright violet hue on Friday night.
So far on the Eras Tour, which kicked off March 17 in Glendale, Ariz., Swift has only been performing one song from Speak Now, “Enchanted,” in her setlist — although “Mean” was performed as a surprise song during her April 15 show in Tampa, Fla. Speak Now spawned two top 10 singles in “Mine” (No. 3 peak on the Billboard Hot 100) and “Back to December” (No. 6), plus four other singles — “Mean” (No. 11), “Ours” (No. 13), “Sparks Fly” (No. 17) and “The Story of Us” (No. 41) — that charted on the Hot 100.
Upon its October 2010 release — following Swift’s mainstream breakthrough with 2008’s Fearless, which won the album of the year Grammy — Speak Now became the first Swift album to cross the 1 million sales mark in its debut week, launching at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with 1.047 million copies sold. Swift’s third album has earned a total of 7.8 million equivalent album units in the U.S. through Apr. 27, according to Luminate.
Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) will follow Fearless (Taylor’s Version) and Red (Taylor’s Version), both of which were released in 2021, as the third re-recorded studio album in her six-album endeavor. Swift announced plans to re-record her first six studio albums in 2019 after being unable to purchase the master recordings of her back catalog. Instead of releasing a re-recorded album last year, Swift issued her 10th studio album, Midnights, which scored the biggest debut week of her career and of any album in 2022.
City officials have been pulling out all the stops to welcome the superstar.