A 43-year-old woman from Duo Heights Layout, Begur, became a victim of fraud while trying to purchase tickets for the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) match between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Kolkata Knight Riders at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. She encountered a Facebook account named IPL Cricket Ticket and reached out to book tickets for her friends and family.How did fraudster lay trapThe Facebook account provided a mobile number for further details. Upon calling, she spoke with someone claiming to be a legitimate ticket seller for the IPL event and expressed her interest in buying approximately 20 tickets.The scammer asked her to send INR 8,000 to block the tickets, followed by an additional INR 11,000 for various charges. After receiving the amounts, he requested INR 8,170 to be transferred to an account under the name Abdul Kalam. She made several more payments as per the scammers instructions, including INR 14,999 and a final amount of INR 21,000, losing a total of INR 86,265.Upon asking for either the tickets or a refund, the scammer demanded an additional INR 16,000. Realizing it was a scam, she demanded the tickets or refund, but the scammer insisted on payment and urged her to file a police complaint before abruptly ending the call.Legitimate rules for purchasing IPL ticketsThe next day, she filed a complaint at the Begur police station, which registered a case under the Information Technology Act and IPC Sections 419 and 420. According to the Karnataka State Cricket Association, IPL tickets are only sold online through the RCBs official website and offline counters a few days before the game.
