IT Experts Warn of High Chance Bots Will Buy Oasis Tickets

IT experts warn there’s a “huge possibility” that a large number of Oasis concert tickets are being snapped up by computer bots. These bots are often deployed by ticket resellers who use automated software to buy more tickets than allowed, selling them later at inflated prices.

On Saturday, many Oasis fans faced website outages while attempting to book tickets for upcoming shows. Jake Moore, a global cybersecurity adviser at software security firm Eset, highlighted that certain groups use advanced software and bots to manipulate ticket websites and purchase bulk tickets.

Moore explained that bots can mimic real-user activity and even alter their location using easily accessible software like VPNs. This tactic often leads to genuine users getting falsely flagged as bots, resulting in access issues. “Bots mimic the activity of real users and even manipulate their location using off-the-shelf software such as a VPN,” Moore told the PA news agency. He added that given the high demand for Taylor Swift tickets recently, it’s highly likely that bots are targeting Oasis tickets too.

Frustration spilled onto social media, with many authentic fans reporting that they were suspended from Ticketmaster as they were wrongly assumed to be bots. Moore pointed out, “Bots mimic the activity of real users and even manipulate their location using off-the-shelf software such as a VPN.” He added, “This is usually counteracted by bot detection software but this can often produce false positives when real users are assumed to be bots themselves.”

According to industry expert Adam Leon Smith of BCS, the Chartered Institute for IT, the massive demand for an Oasis reunion inevitably led to website glitches. Smith noted, “Like many areas of cybersecurity, there is a constant arms race between attackers and defenders, an arms race where AI has upped the ante.” He identified automated tools or bots as the most common method for profiteering from ticket sales in 2024.

When asked about measures to combat bots, Smith mentioned, “There are techniques for detecting and stopping bots, but there are also techniques for evading detection.” Moore agreed, emphasizing the ongoing battle in the cybersecurity field to stay ahead of attackers who deploy such technologies.

Adam Webb of the campaign group FanFair Alliance highlighted the difficulty in gauging how many tickets are being bought by touts due to a “lack of transparency” on reselling platforms. He explained, “There’ll be an awful lot of listings.” Webb suspects that many of these tickets may not have been purchased yet but are listed for resale prematurely.

For instance, there were no listings on Viagogo for concerts in Ireland, where reselling tickets above face value is prohibited. Cris Miller, Viagogo’s global managing director, stated, “Resale is legal in the UK, and fans are always protected by our guarantee that they will receive their tickets in time for the event or their money back.”

Meanwhile, Ticketmaster clarified that its website had not crashed. A spokeswoman explained, “The queue is moving along as fans buy tickets. As anticipated, millions of fans are accessing our site, so they have been placed in a queue.” She advised fans to hold their place, use only one tab, clear cookies, and ensure they aren’t using any VPN software on their devices.