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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
July 18, 2025 |
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LANSING – Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel has launched an investigation into Pure Tonic Marketing Ltd. (PDF), an overseas company believed to be based in Seychelles, and the unknown operator of Ticket Squeeze for allegedly operating a ticket resale scheme targeting consumers seeking tickets to events at the University of Michigan’s Hill Auditorium. The Attorney General will seek to identify the operator of the Ticket Squeeze website.
The Attorney General alleges in her petition that Pure Tonic operated the website thehillauditorium.com, a domain that appeared to be the official site for Hill Auditorium. However, the website was unrelated to the venue or the university. The website reportedly advertised tickets to upcoming events at the venue and redirected users to ticketsqueeze.com to purchase, where tickets were allegedly sold at grossly excessive prices under the guise of “cheaper” or “low” rates.
A complaint regarding the website was first made to the Department of Attorney General by the University Musical Society (UMS). UMS is a non-profit performing arts presenter affiliated with the University of Michigan that regularly presents performances at the Hill Auditorium. UMS sells tickets for its events, including events presented at the Hill Auditorium, through its official website.
One consumer, believing he was purchasing tickets from an official source, reported paying $1,263.95 for two tickets to a Berlin Philharmonic performance through the website. The same tickets were listed at $175 each through the official UMS website.
While the Hill Auditorium was the focus of the initial complaint, other entertainment venues may have also been targeted by the alleged scheme. Through this investigation, the Department of Attorney General hopes to learn whether additional imposter websites have been used by these entities to deceive consumers statewide.
“Misleading customers into thinking they are purchasing tickets from a trusted source, while charging them excessively high prices is unlawful,” Nessel said. “I appreciate the University Musical Society for bringing this matter to our attention. My office will continue to investigate and pursue bad actors to protect Michigan consumers from this kind of exploitation.”
"The rise of ticket resellers who purchase tickets solely for the purpose of making money off of unsuspecting customers has been a scourge in the performing arts industry," said Sara Billmann, Vice President of Marketing & Communications for the University Musical Society. "In addition to the direct harm caused to customers by predatory secondary market pricing and absurdly high fees, nonprofit arts organizations are also seriously impacted, both financially and reputationally. We are grateful to the Attorney General's office for taking these complaints seriously and for working so hard to protect consumers."
Although the University of Michigan successfully won a domain dispute in 2024 against Pure Tonic, forcing thehillauditorium.com to redirect to the UMS site, a nearly identical website – annarborconcerts.com – has allegedly began conducting the same practice.
The petition alleges there is probable cause that Pure Tonic and the unknown operator of the Ticket Squeeze website violated various provisions of the Michigan Consumer Protection Act, including provisions concerning charging grossly excessive prices and the impersonation of a governmental entity.
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Know the vendor: Consumers are encouraged to make sure they are buying from a reputable website, especially before providing any personal financial information. Anyone can set up a “spoof” website with a web address that is similar to the legitimate ticket seller’s address. Aside from potential licensing and trademark violations, “spoof” websites may offer consumers overpriced or counterfeit tickets and expose the consumer to identity theft.
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Conduct research: Consumers unfamiliar with a particular ticket vendor can call the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Team at 877-765-8388 and ask if we have any complaints on file regarding that seller. Remember, however, that the absence of filed complaints does not guarantee a seller’s legitimacy; it simply means that the Consumer Protection Team has not received any complaints concerning the vendor. As an additional resource, consumers can research the ticket seller on the Better Business Bureau's national website.
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Use credit: If purchasing tickets online, especially via an online auction site, it is recommended that consumers complete their transaction using a credit card. Purchasing tickets with a credit card often provides consumers with protections that they would not otherwise have if they purchased the tickets using cash, check, or apps like Venmo and Cash App. Added protections with credit cards include the ability to dispute a charge if an event is canceled or if they receive counterfeit tickets that a venue refuses to honor. Try to choose sellers with long histories of satisfied customers and make sure the online bid amount is listed in American dollars.
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Shop securely: If a website begins with “https,” the “s” indicates that the website is “secure.” Typically, the “s” will not appear in the web address until consumers access the order page of the site where they are asked to enter their personal information. Another indicator of a secure website is a graphic of a closed lock located at the bottom of the screen. Secure websites take precautions to ensure that others cannot see and copy the personal information consumers provide.
To file a complaint with the Attorney General, or get additional information, contact:
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