Online Scalpers Hawk Springsteen 'Speculative Tickets': Authorities Cry Foul

Want to see the Boss on his upcoming “River Tour?”

Whatever you do, don’t buy a ticket on spec.

According to a Reuters report, the New York Attorney General has ordered a trio of web-based ticket sales agencies to stop selling “speculative” tickets to Bruce Springsteen’s upcoming tour, which kicks off in Pittsburgh, PA, on Jan. 16.

• See related article: Bruce Springsteen Announces 2016 U.S. Tour

A form of ticket scalping, speculative tickets are sold by people who plan to purchase passes to a popular event and then resell them for a profit.

Tickets were not due to be sold until Friday, Dec. 11, according to Springsteen’s official website, which links fans to Ticketmaster.com.

However speculative tickets were seen selling on StubHub.com, one of the named companies, for as much as $5,000, Reuters reported.

Speculative ticket sales were also seen on Connecticut-based TicketNetwork Inc. and Illinois-based Vivid Seats Ltd., according to the New York Attorney General Office.

Chris VanDeHoef, a spokesman for TicketNetwork, told Reuters on Wednesday that the company has volunteered to take down any of Springsteen’s dates until tickets officially go on sale, and that the company urges its counterparts to do the same.

“Speculative tickets harm both consumers and the ticket industry,” wrote Assistant Attorney General for the Internet Bureau Jordan Adler in a letter to the three companies. “In many cases, consumers who purchase a speculative ticket do not receive the seats that were advertised and paid for.”

Patch checked the three named websites on Wednesday at 2:30 p.m., and found speculative Bruce Springsteen River Tour tickets being offered for sale on all three sites.

Tickets being offered for sale included:

• Vivid Seats – Jan. 16 (Pittsburgh, PA), $2,608 for two seats in Lower Level 122, Row K
• TicketNetwork – March 15 (Los Angeles, CA), $8,264 for four seats in Arena 16, Row 1-17
• StubHub – Jan. 24 (New York, NY) $1,700 for a ticket in Section 100, Level 108, Row 20