Ticketmaster data breach: are you at risk of identity theft?

The credit card details and personal information of tens of thousands of Ticketmaster customers are feared to have been stolen after the ticketing website was hacked by “malicious software”, it has emerged.

The company - which controls around 80% of ticket sales across the globe - is believed to have been warned months ago that there appeared to have been a data breach, but has only now informed consumers.

“Some personal or payment information may have been accessed by an unknown third party,” the firm admitted on Twitter.

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What happened?

The hackers used malicious software on a customer support product hosted by Inbenta Technologies, an external third-party supplier, to access data, says The Guardian. Customers’ names, addresses, email addresses, phone numbers, payment details and Ticketmaster login details were taken.

I bought tickets from Ticketmaster – am I affected?

If you bought concert, theatre or sporting event tickets from Ticketmaster, TicketWeb or Get Me In! between February and 23 June, there is a chance your details were stolen.

How can I find out for sure?

Check your bank account for any transactions that you do not recognise involving money transfers on Xendpay, and Uber gift cards and Netflix subscription purchases, as well as any other suspicious activity.

How is Uber involved?

Uber, Netflix and Xendpay were not subject to the data breach, but the hackers have used transactions with those companies to steal money from the bank accounts of Ticketmaster customers.

How many people are affected?

Ticketmaster has 230 million customers a year worldwide. The company says that fewer than 5% were caught up in the breach, while around 40,000 customers in the UK were directly affected. All customers known to have been affected have been contacted.

What does Ticketmaster advise customers to do?

The ticketing website said: “We recommend that you monitor your account statements for evidence of fraud or identity theft. If you are concerned or notice any suspicious activity on your account, you should contact your bank(s) and any credit card companies.”

The company has set up a website to answer questions about the breach. Customers are advised to reset their passwords and can also email fan.help@ticketmaster.co.uk for further guidance. Affected customers have been offered a free year-long identity monitoring service.

When did Ticketmaster discover the problem?

According to The Guardian, Ticketmaster was warned in April that there appeared to be a problem, after digital bank Monzo identified the website as a common trend among victims of card fraud. The newspaper says Ticketmaster “could face questions” about whether it kept the incident quiet.