Just a few months ago, MLB was rocked by the betting scandal that involved the suspension of a few players. And while the league is still trying to get over that hangover, a new scandal is brewing. If the latest reports are to be considered, this time, fans are directly targeted. Even though MLB acknowledged the problem, they’re still at the primary stage of understanding how it’s happening and who the culprit is.

“Bad actors are stealing, reselling fan tickets swiped from MLB’s Ballpark app, MLB acknowledges.” The Athletic cited MLB about how fans are getting scammed with their valid tickets to enter the ballparks.

We heard the first signs of trouble popped up in the Red Sox camp.

Reportedly, a few fans showed up to Fenway recently only to find that the tickets they bought through the MLB Ballpark app had vanished. Not just that, they have been resold without their consent! Nancy Morrisroe, a season ticket holder of the Red Sox, shared that her ticket on the Ballpark App vanished once she went to Fenway Park. “There is no recall button; it shows I forwarded them to you,” Morrisroe referred to another.

As it went to the authorities, MLB admitted they’d gotten multiple reports of this happening. They’re aware that fans are arriving at games to learn their seats are already gone. While there have been big data breach reports tied to other major platforms, MLB says there’s no sign its own systems were compromised. Still, the league issued an apology to fans for the mess.

MLB even shared a few directives asking fans to change their existing passwords and to step up their authentication step in the Ballpark App. However, fans are eager to know how MLB is investigating the case and who the main culprits are.

But this is not the first time that MLB has faced a scam.

MLB has a history of ticketing scams

This recent scam just added to MLB’s long list of similar incidents. Let’s rewind to Game 2 of the 2018 World Series between the Dodgers and Red Sox.

One fan, who had dropped $650 on his ticket, showed up at Fenway only to be shocked when it wouldn’t scan. The reason? He’d posted a picture of his ticket on Instagram to show off that he was headed to the game. That was enough for the hackers to spot it, grab the info, and use it to create a duplicate ticket that got them through the gates.

While the fan eventually got in, it was only after shelling out another $450 for a replacement seat.

Undoubtedly, it’s a tough lesson for fans. A reminder that while MLB can work on improving security, fans also have to be careful with their tickets. Unless one doesn’t mind spending an extra $500!

But this time, the scam is more organized and on a large scale. And it doesn’t target a single fan. So, we could expect a stricter, full-proof, and effective action from MLB commissioner Rob Manfred that might include an overhaul of the existing ticketing process. What do you think?