Ticketmaster: demand for 'The Nutcracker' sparked a record wave of phishing scams
Changes in the system of ticket sales for popular New Year's performances have increased interest in the subject not only among spectators, but also among fraudsters. As Izvestia was told by cybersecurity companies, the number of phishing sites targeting theatergoers has tripled compared to last year. In 2024, the Bolshoi created a special program that was supposed to cut off speculators and scam artists. Izvestia also tried to get to "The Nutcracker" in a new way. About how it was and what eventually led to - in our material.
Speculators accepted the challenge
In 2024, the demand for "The Nutcracker" at the Bolshoi led to a record spike in phishing attacks.
- Changes in the implementation system have only increased the interest of attackers in the topic, and their actions have become even more sophisticated," Konstantin Melnikov, head of the digital threat analysis and assessment department at Infosecurity (Softline Group of Companies), told Izvestia. - Experts of the DRP-service ETHIC of Infosecurity company daily record more than 150 new phishing resources related to the sale of tickets to the Kremlin Christmas tree and the ballet "Nutcracker". This is three times more than in the same period last year, when the number of such resources was about 50 per day.
As Melnikov says, scammers have their own tactics.One swindler has from 80 to 150 new domains registered at the same time. Some of them are used immediately, but 30-40% of sites remain in reserve in case of unforeseen blocking.
Attackers willingly use domains registered several years ago - in 2020, 2022 and 2023. They are valued higher, as they are perceived as legitimate and are less likely to be blocked. This year, Infosecurity experts found that such "dormant" domains have become more active.
- Some platforms do not offer tickets directly, but collect users' personal information," the expert believes.- For example, attackers post a message: "There are no tickets available temporarily, leave your contact details so we can notify you as soon as they become available". Most often they ask you to leave your full name, phone number or contacts in messengers (WhatsApp, Telegram). Then this data can be used for a more targeted fraudulent attack on the victim.
To recognize phishing, Infosecurity experts advise paying attention to the date and domain registration. You can use Whois services to find out who registered the site and when. If the owner is listed as Private Person, this is a reason to doubt. Fraudulent resources are often of poor quality: confused design, non-clickable links, errors in the text. Phishing sites either lack information about the legal entity or contain fake data unrelated to ticket sales.
It was easier with "live" tickets
The first passes under the new scheme were sold for the performance, which will be held on December 17. At exactly 10:00 on the Bolshoi website there were 244 tickets in the price category from 1250 to 50 thousand rubles. Red dots on the scheme of the hall marked a small part of the free seats - a few in the parterre, the rest - on the tiers. But literally from the second second as if a cow with its tongue began to lick these red dots from the screen. Within 20 seconds they bought up everything - and the site went down. Refreshing the page would result in single seats on the galley being sold. You put your cursor in a red dot, and the place seems to be marked as occupied by you, but it is not displayed in the "Personal Cabinet". And then the system throws the viewer out of his or her own account.
Fans of "The Nutcracker" are united in chat rooms in messengers. Izvestia correspondent is a member of one of them. The virtual brotherhood was formed a few years ago, when fans of the Bolshoi signed up for the ballet in a notebook at the GABT box office, were on duty there on frosty nights, so that speculators did not force out the organized public at the time of the start of sales, counted, and then at an hour designated by the theater administration, received in turn bracelets with numbers. They were used to buy tickets at the box office the next day.
There were 400 bracelets. Everyone could buy two tickets per hand. And two more children could be billeted. In total, the realization came under 1 thousand "live" passes. The hall of the theater holds 1750 spectators.
On December 2, out of 676 people who waited for sales and aimed at the "Nutcracker", with seats were two. One bought a ticket through the Pushkin Card social program, the other as a "60+". In another messenger with 1331 people, only a few became pass holders.
- I fished out a couple of tickets for the sake of interest, but did not pay, - shared in the chat one of the theater women. - For 50 thousand to sit at different ends of the hall ... well, such a story.
A scene from The Nutcracker.
According to community member Nina, if the system really worked, it would be more pleasant to buy on the site than to freeze in the street.
- But you saw for yourself that only two of our friends actually had tickets, and those were privileged people. If GABT treats its longtime fans this way, then we'll do without "The Nutcracker". Last year I bought tickets for 20 thousand and sat in the seventh row of the parterre. This year, to go, you have to give already 50 thousand. I will add a little more and go on vacation, - she admitted to "Izvestia".
By the way, so far on the website of the State Academic Bolshoi Theater there is no grid with the cost of tickets for "The Nutcracker". Except for the minimum - from 1250 rubles for the preferential category "Youth (14-22)". And under the programs "Pushkin card", "Low price category seats", "60 plus" ticket price of 5 thousand rubles. The cheapest pass for all other spectators cost the same amount. And this is the price for the fourth row of the fourth tier. On the third row you will sit for Br10 thousand. And on the first row of the fourth tier - for 12500 rubles. The same price for the third row of the second tier. And the second row of the second tier is now sold for 25 thousand rubles. Tickets for the third tier in the second row - 17500. The first row of the first tier - 45 thousand. All these figures "Izvestia" collected in a chat of fans of the Bolshoi Theater.
As Mikhail Minin, General Director of MTS Live, predicted, bots will be working on the site during the hour of sales, and people will get nothing.
- "I can tell you from personal experience that when you try to open the page to buy "The Nutcracker" at the Bolshoi, an error occurs, and it is impossible to advance in the registration process either through SberID or Gosuservices," he said.- The measure with the auction of tickets was introduced by the Bolshoi Theater to combat speculators. However, in the current situation, it worsens accessibility to tickets for the ordinary viewer.
It would be useful if the theater released statistics on how many individuals and legal entities purchased tickets to "The Nutcracker" - to assess the effectiveness of the experiment, the expert added.
- In the field of culture there are many experiments, and I would like to see the results of the initiatives with public or at least industry retro (a process in which employees analyze the work done, identify problems and ways to improve current processes. - Ed.)," summarized Mikhail Minin.
GABT confirmed to Izvestia their interference with ticket sales.
- Despite the bot attacks and temporary difficulties in the work of the Bolshoi Theater website, no serious problems have been detected, - reported in the press service of the theater. - At the moment (December 2, 11:15 Moscow time) 90% of tickets for December 17 have been sold.
As for the auction
Despite all the instructions on how to register for the auction, it turned out to be difficult. A multi-stage check by the system could not admit a participant to the auction. And it was possible to fight there for 175 tickets at the starting price of 50 thousand rubles.
- I managed to register, and I tried to participate, but when the price rose above my limit, I did not start bidding for tickets, - told "Izvestia" Marina.
The girl planned to take two passes. The lot was worth 100k. There were lots (other pair seats in the parterre) for 150 thousand. Single seats reached 85 thousand. The lowest price went up for lots, which included four seats next to each other. From the initial price of 200 thousand such a lot rose in price by 35 thousand. Bidding for single tickets and a set of four seats ended at 12:00. But on the paired lots were still a few hours.
According to the operator of the bidding hotline, people wanted to buy a set of tickets. That's why there was no excitement around single seats. As it turned out, when applying for "Lot1_Single seats", theatergoers thought that they claimed only one ticket. And they can choose up to four seats, and side by side or individually.
What the hype will lead to
Not many people want to talk about what is happening with "The Nutcracker". A source from the ballet world anonymously told Izvestia that such an unhealthy frenzy will lead to the alienation of a significant part of the public from the theater.
- Tickets have gone up in price 2.5 times at face value, from 20 thousand rubles a seat in the parterre has risen in price to 50 thousand, - he says.- Going to the "Nutcracker" as a family can afford only very wealthy people, who are used to service, to planning and certainly not used to depend on bidding. Imagine, for December 31, tickets will be sold as late as December 14. That's two weeks before New Year's Eve. Many people already know how they will spend the holiday, and it is not in the rules of wealthy clients to be in a suspended state.
And a representative of ticket aggregators saw more serious problems in the new system of pass sales.
- It will be just like with cinemas in the pandemic, when people were first afraid to go to the movies, then became interested in platforms and refused to visit the cinema, - told "Izvestia" a representative of one of the ticket operators. - It took one and a half to two years to bring viewers back to cinemas. Difficulties in acquiring tickets for "The Nutcracker" will turn viewers away from the theater. Someone will wave goodbye to these races with obstacles, someone will choose to watch in the movie theater of the performance, as offered by the Bolshoi Theater (December 30 and 31 "The Nutcracker" will be broadcast in more than 100 cinemas in the country, and December 31 at 20:00 Moscow time on the official page of the Bolshoi Theater community in "VKontakte". - "Izvestia").
Coincidence or not, but at 11:15, when it was clear that the first buyers would no longer see the tickets, the Ministry of Culture spread the information: "On New Year's Eve, December 31, at 12:00 (Moscow time) Tchaikovsky's ballet "The Nutcracker" directed by Yuri Grigorovich, which will take place on the historic stage of the Bolshoi Theater of Russia, will be shown live on Channel One."
