Wisconsin performing arts organizations hit by ticket scams

Hope Kirwan, Wisconsin Public Radio

People buying online tickets for major shows or touring bands likely know to be on the lookout for scams and inflated prices.

But Wisconsinites may not realize local venues in the state are having the same problems. Scammers create ticket listings for local shows on resale websites like Seat Geek or Vivid Seats in order to jack up the prices, a practice that’s known as speculative ticketing.

“We have a local dance company that puts on the Nutcracker, and even their show is ending up on the speculative market,” said Dillon McArdle, director of Viterbo University’s Fine Arts Center in La Crosse.

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Sara Young, managing director at American Players Theatre in Spring Green, said this summer was the first season they’ve noticed that people were falling prey to speculative ticketing. She said the ticket resale websites are often made to look like they’re coming directly from the venue.

“When you typed in ‘American Players Theatre,’ those sponsored ads would be the first ones that would come up. But it wasn’t our website,” she said.

Like McArdle and Lewis, Young said her organization has done its best to warn potential customers. But she said there is very little recourse for venues to report these bad actors online.

She said it’s becoming more of a problem as people move away from calling a person at the box office and want to buy their tickets with just a few clicks.

“We’re not open 24/7,” Young said. “If you’re like me, you might want to buy your tickets at 11 p.m. at night, when it’s convenient for you. So we completely understand that.

To make sure you don’t fall prey to speculative ticketing, Young said people should make sure they can choose their own seat, not just a “zone” or section.

“(Third-party sellers) don’t have control over what exact seat the person buys,” she said. “They’re like, you’re going to be in this section, because that’s the ticket that they’ve already purchased and the ticket that they’re marking up.”

McArdle said customers should pay attention to details like the time or location listed on a website. Often speculative ticketing sites are being populated by AI, leading to small errors that can clue in buyers.

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