Ticket company CEO suspected of fraud

The CEO of ticket resellers Biljett Nu has been arrested on suspicion of fraud, reported Swedish media on Saturday, as the company has sold tickets to Bruce Springsteen’s two Gothenburg concerts and then failed to deliver.

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“I can confirm that this involves the company CEO,” said police spokesman Peter Adlersson to the TT news agency.

The man was brought in for questioning just outside the Ullevi concert arena in Gothenburg, moments before the concert was due to begin at 8pm Friday.

He was then arrested, under suspicion of fraud.

“Money was found on him. I can’t confirm the exact sum, but it’s quite a significant amount anyway,” said Adlersson.

According to Anders Olofsson of the police’s fraud unit, selling a product that turns out not to be available is not necessarily a crime.

“If it’s a serious company that wants to make its customers happy, and they were convinced it would be possible to obtain tickets, but then failed to do so, they haven’t done anything illegal,” Olofsson said to the TT Spektra news agency.

For the police to become involved, the company has to have shown direct intent to trick its customers.

“However, if they were selling tickets despite knowing that there were none, that’s a different situation,” Olofsson said.

Biljett Nu sells advance sale tickets for events by buying and trading tickets on the second hand market. It says on the company’s website that entrance to the event is guaranteed as soon as the ticket is paid.

There is no information about tickets not always being guaranteed.

It’s unclear how many were left without a ticket for Friday’s concert at Ullevi, and how many still have no ticket for Saturday evening’s show.

“It’s impossible to say. We get tickets all the time, so some people will get their ticket after all. But we’re going to have to continue making calls for Saturday’s concert. There aren’t enough tickets,” said Biljett Nu’s Robert Jakobsson to TT Spektra.

According to the company, all customers left without tickets will be compensated.

“We’re very sorry. They’ll have to mail us their account numbers and we’ll reimburse them,” said Jakobsson.