Touts who use computer software to harvest concert tickets in bulk and resell them at vast mark-ups face unlimited fines as part of a crackdown on highly profitable resale sites such as Viagogo, StubHub and GetMeIn. Proposals will include a new criminal offence for the use of “bots” – software that helps touts bypass limits on the number of tickets one person can buy. These include demanding that ticket firms to step up their own efforts to prevent the use of bots and to report any attacks on their systems by touts trying to harvest tickets. Ticket resale sites will face even harsher measures if they do not prove that they are taking sufficient steps to address the power of touts, the Guardian understands. Theresa May promised to take action on ticket resale at Prime Minister’s Questions after Nigel Adams MP urged her to help “ensure genuine fans are not fleeced by ticket touts and rogues”.

Source: The Guardian March 10, 2017 19:15 UTC