Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said Friday her office is investigating a company that allegedly gouged customers for University of Michigan concert hall tickets.

The probe will focus on Pure Tonic Marketing Ltd., an overseas company believed to be based in the African country of Seychelles, and the unknown operator of a website called Ticket Squeeze.com, she said in a statement.

Nessel alleges that Pure Tonic operated thehillauditorium.com, which appeared to be the official site for Hill Auditorium on the university’s campus. The website allegedly advertised for sale tickets to upcoming events at the concert hall.

However, she said, the website and the company have no affiliation with UM or the venue. It’s also not clear who operates the company or the website, Nessel’s office added.

Users who logged on to the website were redirected to another site called ticketsqueeze.com to buy tickets at “grossly excessive prices under the guise of ‘cheaper’ or ‘low rates,’ ” according to the attorney general.

She said the investigation was sparked by a complaint filed with her office by the University Musical Society, a non-profit affiliated with UM that regularly presents performances at the Hill Auditorium. The society sells tickets for its events, including those at Hill Auditorium, through its official website.

“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.”

Prosecutors said one person thought he was buying two tickets for a Berlin Philharmonic performance at Hill Auditorium through the official UMS website, UMS.org, but made the purchase through thehillauditorium.com and was charged $1,263.95. The tickets were listed at $175 each on the official UMS website.

Officials said other entertainment venues may have also been targeted by the alleged scheme, and investigators hope to find any additional imposter websites used to deceive Michigan consumers.

Sara Billmann, UMS’ vice president of marketing and communications, said 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.”

“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,” she said. “We are grateful to the Attorney General’s office for taking these complaints seriously and for working so hard to protect consumers.”

Nessel’s office reminds consumers to protect themselves when buying tickets online by:

∎ Knowing the vendor. Make sure you’re buying tickets from a reputable website, especially before providing any personal financial information. Anyone can set up a “spoof” website with a web address similar to the legitimate ticket seller’s address.

∎ Doing your research. Consumers unfamiliar with a 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. They should also research ticket sellers on the Better Business Bureau’s national website.

∎ Using a credit card. Purchasing tickets with a credit card often provides consumers with protections they would not otherwise have if they purchased the tickets using cash, check, or apps like Venmo and Cash App.

∎ Shopping securely. Make sure websites used to buy tickets begin 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.

cramirez@detroitnews.com

@CharlesERamirez

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