Photo by Wendy Wei

In July 2024, a hacking group called ShinyHunters claimed it had stolen user data of more than 500 million Ticketmaster customers and demanded a ransom of $500,000 US ($680,000 Cdn), according to media reports.

Ticketmaster says it first identified the breach on May 20. Ticketmaster is notifying customers about a “data security incident” that may have leaked their personal information.

The ticket-selling company wrote in an email to customers that it recently discovered an “unauthorized third party” obtained information from a cloud database hosted by a third-party company between April 2 and May 18. 

The information “may have included your name, basic contact information, and payment card information such as encrypted credit or debit card numbers and expiration dates. Three days later, it identified that personal information may have been affected by the breach.

CBC has asked Ticketmaster why it did not notify customers sooner. 

What does this mean? If you’re ever purchased concert tickets through Ticketmaster, your data has been compromised. Half a BILLION customers have been affected!

Article Featured in CBC