The DOJ Used 1,300 Accounts To Make $833K Off One Beyoncé Concert

Beyoncé fans who struggled to score Renaissance World Tour tickets may have questions after this. Federal investigators allege that a San Diego-based ticket broker used approximately 1,300 accounts to purchase thousands of tickets to a single Beyoncé concert, pocketing more than $833,000 in resale profits. Now, the Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission are suing REPS & Co., accusing the company and three executives of running an operation that generated at least $120.8 million in profits. REPS purchased 7,624 tickets for Beyoncé's October 1, 2023, Renaissance concert at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. Ticketmaster's purchase limit was four to eight tickets per customer, but federal officials allege the broker circumvented those restrictions by operating hundreds of accounts at once. The result? Approximately $833,323 in profits from one night of Beyoncé's blockbuster tour. Federal authorities claim REPS spent more than $1.3 billion acquiring over 18.5 million tickets across at least 83,500 events since 2022. The company allegedly targeted high-demand shows featuring artists including Post Malone and Pitbull, then resold tickets at substantial markups. For a 2024 Pitbull concert in Syracuse, New York, investigators say the company used 700 accounts to purchase 5,430 tickets, generating another $120,000 in profits. The alleged operation went far beyond having employees refresh Ticketmaster. Prosecutors claim REPS hired workers in the Philippines, used virtual credit cards and disguised IP addresses, and maintained thousands of accounts to get around security measures.

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