Many people have wondered if they should provide their Social Security Number (SSN) to Ticketmaster when purchasing tickets online. There are advantages and disadvantages to doing so that are important to consider. Providing your SSN can make the ticket buying process faster and more secure, but there are also privacy concerns around sharing this sensitive information. This article will analyze the pros and cons of giving Ticketmaster your SSN to help you make an informed decision.
Background on Ticketmaster
Ticketmaster is the largest ticket sales and distribution company in the world. It sells tickets online and by phone for concerts, sports events, theater shows, and more. Ticketmaster merged with Live Nation in 2010 to become Live Nation Entertainment, though it still operates under the Ticketmaster name. Some key facts about Ticketmaster:
– Founded in 1976, headquartered in Beverly Hills, CA
– Sells over 485 million tickets per year
– Operates in 28 countries worldwide
– Owns or operates over 200 venues and festivals
– Made over $10.9 billion in revenue in 2021
As one of the largest players in event ticketing, Ticketmaster receives a high volume of ticket orders daily. To help process these orders, they collect information like names, addresses, and often SSNs from customers.
Why Ticketmaster Requests SSNs
Ticketmaster states that collecting SSNs allows them to more accurately identify customers and prevent fraud. Some specific reasons they request SSNs include:
Identity Verification
Your SSN is a unique personal identifier. Providing it helps Ticketmaster confirm your identity and ensure you are the actual ticket purchaser. This prevents people from illegally accessing and using your Ticketmaster account.
Fraud Prevention
Ticketmaster uses SSNs to cross-reference customer identities against credit reports, public records, and their internal records. This helps weed out potential scams or fraudulent purchases made using stolen credit cards or identities.
Account Recovery
If customers forget their password or account information, providing the SSN on file allows Ticketmaster to verify their identity. This makes it easier for legitimate customers to recover access to their accounts.
Limiting Ticket Scalping
There are limits on how many tickets a single person can purchase for some events. Collecting SSNs helps Ticketmaster enforce these limits by linking purchases to real identities. This reduces opportunities for ticket scalpers to buy up large volumes of tickets using different accounts.
Potential Benefits of Providing Your SSN
There are some advantages customers gain by voluntarily providing their SSN to Ticketmaster.
Quicker Identity Verification
Providing your SSN allows Ticketmaster to instantly verify your identity against external databases. This can make the ticket buying process faster compared to verifying your identity without an SSN.
Enhanced Account Security
Your SSN gives Ticketmaster an extra layer of identity confirmation. This enhanced security makes it less likely unauthorized parties can access or make charges to your account.
More Payment Options
Ticketmaster may unlock additional payment methods once your SSN is on file. For example, you may gain the ability to purchase now and pay later.
Easier Account Recovery
As mentioned earlier, giving Ticketmaster your SSN provides a simple way to validate your identity if you get locked out of your account or forget your password. They can use your SSN to quickly restore your account access.
Potential Benefits of Providing SSN to Ticketmaster |
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Quicker identity verification |
Enhanced account security |
More payment options |
Easier account recovery |
Privacy Risks of Supplying Your SSN
Despite the advantages, there are privacy disadvantages to furnishing your SSN to Ticketmaster:
Data Breaches
Any company that collects sensitive customer data is at risk of being hacked. For example, Ticketmaster UK reported a data breach impacting 10 million customers in 2018. Providing your SSN puts you at risk if Ticketmaster experiences a breach.
Personal Data Misuse
Ticketmaster’s internal policies prohibit misuse of customer data. However, employees or partners could potentially access and misuse SSNs they collect. There have been cases of customer data theft and sale by corrupt insiders at major companies.
Increased Fraud Risk
Having your SSN in more company systems increases your exposure if those systems are compromised. Criminals who obtain your SSN could potentially use it to open fraudulent accounts or steal your identity.
Loss of Anonymity
SSNs allow companies to connect your activities across their internal systems using your SSN as a common identifier. This results in loss of anonymity and makes it easier for them to profile or track you.
Privacy Risks of Providing SSN to Ticketmaster |
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Data breaches |
Personal data misuse |
Increased fraud risk if compromised |
Loss of anonymity |
Alternatives to Providing Your SSN
If you are uncomfortable giving your SSN to Ticketmaster, there are some alternatives:
Use a Virtual Credit Card
Virtual credit cards generated through services like Privacy.com provide a disposable card number to use in place of your real card details. This protects your real credit card number.
Pay with a Gift Card
Purchasing Ticketmaster gift cards allows you to pay without providing any sensitive personal financial information. The gift cards simply act as prepaid credits.
PayPal
Using PayPal instead of directly providing your credit card to Ticketmaster keeps your financial details private. This gives you an extra layer of protection.
Buy Tickets from a Trusted 3rd Party
Many stores like Walmart and travel sites like Expedia sell event tickets in partnership with Ticketmaster. Purchasing through them rather than directly via Ticketmaster allows you to avoid providing unnecessary personal data.
Accept Lower Security
You can close your Ticketmaster account and start over by creating a new one without providing your SSN. Just know there will be fewer identity checks protecting your new account.
Is It Safe to Give Ticketmaster Your SSN?
At the end of the day, is providing your SSN to Ticketmaster safe? Here are a few key points to summarize:
– Ticketmaster has legitimate purposes for collecting SSNs – namely fraud prevention and identity verification. These enhance the security of your real Ticketmaster account.
– However, Ticketmaster has suffered past security breaches. Your SSN could be compromised if hackers infiltrate their systems.
– Not providing your SSN limits some of the convenience and security features of Ticketmaster accounts. You may have to go through extra identity confirmation steps when buying tickets.
– Alternatives like virtual credit cards and PayPal allow you to maintain security without directly providing sensitive info like your SSN.
Overall, there are valid arguments on both sides. It’s a matter of personal preference based on your comfort level with sharing your SSN, confidence in Ticketmaster’s security, and willingness to trade some convenience for extra privacy. There is no unambiguously right or wrong answer.
Conclusion
Whether to provide your SSN to Ticketmaster comes down to an individual risk-benefit assessment. Valid points can be made for and against giving them this sensitive data. If convinced the fraud prevention benefits outweigh the privacy risks, furnishing your SSN is reasonable. But if you are uneasy about sharing it, alternatives like virtual credit cards let you maintain security without directly providing that info. Carefully consider the pros, cons, alternatives, and your personal tolerance for risk before deciding if you should give Ticketmaster your Social Security Number.