Fake IPL ticket links dupe RCB fans in Bengaluru

BENGALURU: Police have registered a cyber fraud case after several people were allegedly duped by a fake website offering IPL tickets for matches scheduled in the city.Electronic City division DCP M Narayana said on Saturday that fraudsters created a lookalike website mimicking the official ticketing platform of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru amid high demand for upcoming matches, including the April 5 fixture against the Chennai Super Kings.“In Bengaluru, RCB has matches scheduled on April 5, 15, 18, and 24. At a time of heavy ticket demand, a fake website was created. Once money was collected from users, the link was immediately disabled,” he said. Police said the fraudulent website displayed details such as “M Chinnaswamy Stadium Bengaluru, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, IPL 2026 tickets on sale” to lure users searching online. Victims were redirected to payment gateways, allowed to select seats and complete transactions, after which the link became inactive.“So far, three customers have reported being cheated at Hulimavu Police Station. We immediately registered a cyber fraud case,” Narayana said, adding that instructions were issued to block the accounts involved and request social media platforms to remove the content.He noted there is often a delay between reporting such links and their removal.“Preliminary investigations indicate that transactions worth crores of rupees may have taken place through these accounts,” he said.Police said the three complainants reported losses of Rs 7,196, Rs 11,991 and Rs 7,497, respectively. “Once we access the account details, we will know the full scale of transactions. Prima facie, a large sum of money is involved,” Narayana added.Advising caution, the DCP said tickets for the matches are already sold out on the official website. “Tickets are not being sold through any other links. All other links are fake,” he said.He urged the public to verify the official RCB website and avoid clicking on websites claiming “bumper ticket sales” out of curiosity.“We request the public to stay away from all fake links and websites,” Narayana added.