Ticketmaster’s bot detection system can sometimes falsely flag real users as bots when they try to purchase tickets on their mobile phones. This frustrating experience leaves fans locked out of buying tickets for in-demand shows. There are a few reasons why you may get flagged as a bot on your phone when using Ticketmaster.
You’re Using an Unrecognized Device
Ticketmaster’s system tracks device identifiers like IP addresses, operating systems, and browser versions to look for suspicious patterns. If you purchase tickets on a new phone or a device that Ticketmaster hasn’t seen before, its algorithms may assume you’re a bot and block your transaction. This prevents scalpers from easily creating new accounts, but it also impacts legitimate users who upgrade phones regularly.
Getting flagged when using a new device is most common with iPhones because of Apple’s Identifier for Advertisers (IDFA). The IDFA changes whenever you get a new iPhone, making your device appear unfamiliar to Ticketmaster. Using a brand new phone to buy tickets triggers the bot detector.
Your Connection Looks Suspicious
Bot networks often use proxy servers, VPNs, and Tor to mask their locations and IP addresses. If your mobile connection looks like it’s coming through an anonymous network, you may get flagged as an automated bot.
This is more likely if you’re on public Wi-Fi instead of your home network. For example, using a VPN on hotel or coffee shop Wi-Fi can make your mobile traffic appear risky to Ticketmaster. Even without a VPN, some large public networks use NAT which can flag your device as high risk.
You’re Refreshing the Page Too Quickly
Aggressive page refreshing is a common tactic used by bots trying to snag tickets the moment they go on sale. Ticketmaster monitors how frequently users refresh the page. If you manually refresh too quickly on your phone, their algorithms may assume you’re an automated program instead of a human.
This is especially likely if you refresh inconsistently at a superhuman pace like 5 times in 2 seconds. Normal human behavior tends to have more variability in refresh rates. Consistent, rapid-fire refreshing is a red flag.
You’re Using Automation Software
Some “ticket bots” are actually just automation software scripts running on normal devices like phones. If Ticketmaster detects you’re using an automated clicking or form-filling program, they’ll flag your activity as suspicious even if you aren’t running a traditional ticket botnet.
Using any software or browser extensions intended to gain an advantage in ticket buying can get you flagged as a scalper bot. Things like auto-fillers, clickers, queue-jumpers, and page refreshers are high-risk.
You’re Making Too Many Requests
Going to Ticketmaster over and over in a short period and searching for events or loading pages can get you flagged as a bot. This accounts for the pattern of high-frequency requests that bots tend to produce.
Loading the same page 10+ times in quick succession may trigger Ticketmaster’s defenses. Rapidly searching or filtering through their ticket inventory is also suspicious behavior indicative of a bot. Too many requests from your IP address raises the risk of getting blocked.
How to Avoid Getting Flagged as a Bot
Here are some tips to minimize the risk of getting falsely flagged as a bot on your phone when using Ticketmaster:
- Use your home Wi-Fi network instead of public Wi-Fi.
- Don’t use a VPN or proxy service which can hide your IP address.
- Avoid refreshing the page too quickly. Refresh 2-3 times per minute maximum.
- Don’t use any automation software or browser extensions.
- Limit searches and page views to a reasonable human level.
- If possible, use your existing phone rather than a brand new device.
Following these guidelines makes your mobile traffic look more human but there’s still a risk of getting falsely blocked, especially if demand for tickets is very high. Unfortunately there’s no perfect solution aside from using Ticketmaster’s website on a desktop computer with a browser you’ve used before.
Why Mobile Users Get Flagged More Often
Ticketmaster seems to be more aggressive in blocking mobile users compared to desktop. There are a few reasons that likely contribute to this:
- Bots are more likely to run on mobile devices because they are cheaper and more disposable.
- It’s easier to mask bot traffic from mobile devices through VPNs and proxies.
- Refreshing pages is faster on mobile browsers making bots more effective.
- Mobile browsers offer less browser fingerprinting data to identify individual users.
Because it’s harder to separate bots from real users on mobile, Ticketmaster applies tighter restrictions which inevitably blocks some legitimate users. It’s an unfortunate tradeoff they opt for to shut out more bot traffic.
Is Ticketmaster’s Bot Detection Effective?
Ticketmaster claims its bot prevention efforts are successful though exact numbers are unclear. Here are some statistics they’ve published:
- They’ve blocked over 60 billion bot attempts to purchase tickets since 2016.
- During one high-demand on-sale, they blocked over 300,000 bot requests per minute.
- Bot traffic accounts for up to 90% of their site traffic during ticket releases.
These numbers indicate their bot detection does block large amounts of automated traffic. However, bots have still been able to buy a substantial portion of tickets to many shows.
Critics argue Ticketmaster’s technology is outdated and fails to keep up with sophisticated modern bots. Its effectiveness also appears to vary between events with bots penetrating defenses more easily for extremely high-demand concerts.
How Ticketmaster’s Bot Detection Works
Ticketmaster utilizes a variety of advanced technologies to try to identify and block bot traffic. Their main bot detection methods include:
Browser Fingerprinting
This technique uses data points like browser version, operating system, screen size, fonts installed, and other configurations to identify individual devices connecting to the site. New/unknown fingerprints are considered higher risk.
IP Address Tracking
Ticketmaster maintains large databases of known bot IPs and scans website traffic to uncover new bot networks by IP patterns. Accessing the site from a flagged IP will trigger increased scrutiny.
Analytics Monitoring
Algorithms monitor web traffic in real-time to detect suspicious spikes in volume, unusual GEO-locations, high rates of failures/declines, and other anomalous activity indicative of bots.
CAPTCHAs
Users must pass CAPTCHA challenges which humans can complete but bots cannot. However, Ticketmaster cannot put CAPTCHAs on every page without damaging user experience.
Purchase Limits
Limits on the number of tickets per transaction or per credit card provide a simple throttle on bulk scalper purchases. But bots try to circumvent limits using stolen cards and distributed botnets.
Purchase Challenges
Extra steps like requiring users to select images of the show’s performer or solve math problems create speed bumps to slow down bots. This adds to purchase friction though.
Method | How It Detects Bots | Limitations |
---|---|---|
Browser Fingerprinting | Identifies suspicious new/unknown browsers | Impacts users with new devices |
IP Address Tracking | Flags IPs known to host bots | Bots can rapidly cycle IPs |
Analytics Monitoring | Detects abnormal traffic spikes and patterns | Sophisticated bots can mimic human behavior |
CAPTCHAs | Prevents automated clicking tools | Poor user experience if required on every page |
Purchase Limits | Blocks bulk scalper purchases | Bots use stolen cards and distributed networks to circumvent limits |
Purchase Challenges | Forces bot to slow down to solve challenges | Adds friction that impacts all users |
The Ongoing Battle Against Ticket Bots
Ticketmaster faces an endless game of cat and mouse with ticket scalpers as each side tries to outwit the other’s technology. Bots manage to find ways around new defenses, forcing Ticketmaster to implement additional measures.
Some newer approaches Ticketmaster has added to stay ahead include:
- Using machine learning to uncover new bot patterns automatically
- Analyzing social media and web forums for bot companies bragging about strategies
- Performing penetration testing with their own bot farms to find weaknesses
- Extensive A/B testing to optimize bot detection rules
However, dedicated scalper operations continue to adapt. For example, some bots now simulate human clicking and typing speeds to avoid detection. Others infiltrate the pre-sale process Ticketmaster uses to verify real users.
Until Ticktemaster implements stronger identity verification, bots will likely remain a problem, though perhaps a manageable one.
Conclusion
Getting flagged as a bot when trying to use Ticketmaster on your mobile device is a frustrating experience for legitimate customers. Ticketmaster’s aggressive bot detection efforts inevitably block some real human users in its quest to shut down scalpers.
Your best defense is using best practices that make your mobile traffic appear more human-like. However, for high demand events, there is still a significant risk of getting shut out when Ticketmaster’s systems are on high alert for bots. Contacting customer service is the only recourse though satisfaction is not guaranteed.