Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel has put Pure Tonic Marketing Ltd., the shadowy company reportedly based in Seychelles, in her crosshairs, with an investigation focusing on their alleged operation of a ticket resale scheme. The scam, which appears to have been honing in on consumers looking for events at the University of Michigan’s Hill Auditorium, makes use of a duplicitous website, masquerading as the official ticketing portal, to fleece unsuspecting ticket buyers with inflated prices. This news comes via a recent announcement on the Attorney General's official website.
In response to a complaint by the University Musical Society (UMS), a non-profit arts presenter linked to the University of Michigan, the Attorney General's office is exploring the claims that Pure Tonic ran a website that duped customers under the guise of the Hill Auditorium's official site. Beyond swindling the public with exorbitant ticket prices on ticketsqueeze.com, reports suggest that this website could potentially be the tip of an iceberg, with similar setups possibly preying on other venues and their patrons statewide. While buying tickets for a Berlin Philharmonic performance through the imposter site, one consumer paid $1,263.95 for two tickets, believing he was purchasing from an official source, a far cry from the $175 each listed on the official UMS site, as stated by the Attorney General's office.
The battle between the University of Michigan and Pure Tonic Marketing has a history, with the university claiming victory in a 2024 domain dispute, forcing the misleading website thehillauditorium.com to redirect to the UMS site. However, it appears the fight has continued, as revealed by the Attorney General's petition, with a new website – annarborconcerts.com – allegedly engaging in the same deceptive practices to trap consumers in their inflated pricing web. The petition alleges violations of the Michigan Consumer Protection Act, including overcharging and misrepresenting an official entity.
On a consumer protection front, Attorney General Nessel is reissuing an Online Ticket Purchasing alert aimed at better informing consumers about the potential pitfalls of online ticket buying. She recommends consumers familiarize themselves with the vendors, conduct research through the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Team or Better Business Bureau, and utilize credit card payments for added security and buyer protections. The alert underscores the importance of recognizing when a website is secure, indicating this through a web address that starts with “https” and a locked graphic typically at the bottom of the page.
For those finding themselves caught in this snarl of deception or in need of guidance, the Attorney General's Office provides a ray of hope in the form of its Consumer Protection Team. Anguished patrons can file complaints or seek additional information from the team, based in Lansing, with the options to reach out via phone, fax, or through an online complaint form. The UMS has echoed the Consumer Protection Team's sentiment, with Sara Billmann, Vice President of Marketing & Communications for UMS, expressing gratitude for the Attorney General's actions against the unethical resale practices damaging the nonprofit arts community.
