Scammers exploit cricket excitement with deceptive tactics in online ticket sales

Guwahati, Nov 25: Guwahati’s ACA stadium in Barsapara is all set to host a T20 International cricket match between India and Australia on November 28, 2023. However, in recent times, a concerning trend has emerged in online ticket sales, where individuals resort to employing deceptive practices to attract potential buyers.

Although fans are enthusiastic about the upcoming cricket event in the city, a group of scammers are taking advantage by luring fans with deceptive social media posts. One of the primary tactics applied by the scammers involves the crafting of elaborate narratives designed to entice prospective buyers.

These narratives often revolve around sudden cancellations of tickets, thereby creating a sense of urgency and prompting individuals to make hasty decisions.

These fraudulent posts commonly include contact numbers, enabling direct communication with potential buyers while establishing a false sense of legitimacy. Simultaneously, at times, these individuals seek upfront payments through UPI or offer to deliver the tickets through courier services.

Amid these scams, one individual who claims to have brought the ticket mistakenly is willing to accept a reduced amount and he will deliver the tickets through courier to those who would like to purchase them.

Responding to the post, a few people commented that it was a scam, while others expressed their intent to buy the tickets.

Another individual claims to offer nine tickets for the match at a ‘best price’ as he has booked the tickets by mistake.

People alleged that they have been duped by the scammers as after making the payment they were blocked.

The highest tickets for the India vs Australia T20 International are priced as Rs 4000 at the official ticketing site BookMyShow, student tickets are priced at Rs 500 while the general ticket price range starts from Rs 750.

Amid the excitement and passion, scammers have deployed several means to dupe people. However, this is just the tip of the iceberg, several ticket scams has also come to the forefront during the 2023 Cricket World Cup. The BCCI was also slammed for giving preferential treatment to corporate sponsors and VIPs, while others criticized the board for its lack of transparency in the ticket allocation process.

In November, the Kolkata police summoned Snehashis Gangopadhyay, the president of the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB), as part of an investigation into the illicit sale of World Cup match tickets. Gangopadhyay, is the brother of former Indian men's team captain and ex-BCCI president Sourav Ganguly. Subsequently, after interrogating officials from BookMyShow, the official ticketing partner of the International Cricket Council (ICC) for the 2023 Men's Cricket World Cup, the Kolkata police filed seven cases and apprehended 16 individuals involved in the black marketing of tickets. The police disclosed that 94 tickets were seized, revealing that tickets valued at Rs 900 were being illicitly sold for Rs 8,000 in the black market.