Kerala cyber cops warn of online cricket ticket scam ahead of India-Windies ODI

Thiruvananthapuram: Organised groups are actively perpetrating online financial fraud, siphoning off millions by falsely offering tickets on social media for the upcoming India-West Indies first One-Day International (ODI) cricket match to be held at the Greenfield International Stadium here on Sunday. The Cyber Police have issued a warning, urging the public to be vigilant against these new groups who are using fake advertisements on social media to execute scams via WhatsApp.

Fraudsters typically operate by posting enticing advertisements on fake Instagram pages and posts, detailing match dates, venues and prices, falsely claiming that tickets are available. Customers who click on these booking links are redirected to WhatsApp, where they are then sent fake booking forms designed to collect personal details such as their name, address, phone number, and email.

The scammers first collect a small advance payment, seemingly to reserve a ticket, followed by sending a fraudulent 'order confirmation' message to make victims believe their ticket is secured. The next step is demanding additional payments under various pretexts, such as GST, a 'refundable charge', verification fees, and processing charges. Victims are reassured that these extra charges will be fully refunded later.

Even after these payments, fraudsters continue to extort more money, citing reasons like 'transaction processing' or 'refund pending'. The fraudsters resort to intimidation, threatening victims that failure to pay these additional sums will result in the loss of both their purported ticket and all previously paid amounts.

How to protect yourself:

• Exercise extreme caution when encountering cricket or sports match ticket advertisements on social media. Do not blindly trust them.
• Verify ticket availability and booking details exclusively through official platforms and announcements from the organizers.
• Never send money directly to WhatsApp numbers found in social media advertisements.
• Be highly suspicious if you are asked to pay money under the guise of GST, 'refundable charges', processing fees, or verification charges.
• Repeated demands for additional payments after an initial small sum is a clear red flag for fraud.
• Do not assume a ticket is genuine only because you have received a booking ID or order confirmation.
• Under no circumstances should you share your OTP, UPI PIN, or bank/card details with anyone.

If you encounter such fake advertisements or fall victim to this type of fraud, report the incident to the Cyber Police immediately, ideally within an hour, by calling 1930 or visiting https://cybercrime.gov.in.