FTC Sues Ticket Reseller Over 379,000 Taylor Swift Tickets Fraud

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission has filed a lawsuit against Key Investment Group, a ticket reseller accused of using thousands of fake or purchased Ticketmaster accounts to bypass ticket purchase limits and resell hundreds of thousands of tickets, including for Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour, at inflated prices. The FTC alleges that Key illegally purchased at least 379,776 tickets, spending nearly $57 million and generating over $64 million in resale revenue, violating the Better Online Ticket Sales (BOTS) Act and FTC Act. For example, Key reportedly used 49 accounts to buy 273 tickets for a single Swift concert, far exceeding the six-ticket limit and reselling those tickets at a substantial markup. This legal action is part of a broader crackdown initiated by President Trump aimed at combating exploitative ticket reselling practices that harm consumers. Key Investment Group had previously sought to block the FTC’s investigation, claiming its purchases did not involve bots and did not violate the law. FTC Chairman Andrew N. Ferguson emphasized that the lawsuit serves as a warning to ticket brokers that the agency will enforce purchase limits to ensure fair opportunities for fans to buy tickets at reasonable prices.