The British band Coldplay recently announced another concert in India, happening on January 25 in Ahmedabad. As the tickets for the same go live on Saturday, cyber experts share ways to protect oneself from various cyber scams
Coldplay will perform in January 2025 in Mumbai and Ahmedabad (Pic: AFP)
Coldplay fans in the country (especially those who missed out on the tickets for the Mumbai concert) were in for a treat as the British band recently announced another show in India. Being claimed as their biggest-ever show, Coldplay will perform on January 25 at Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad.
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The tickets for the concert will go live on Saturday, November 16.
While the excitement to see your favourite band perform live is always high, it also gives way to illegal and unethical activities preying on fans’ love for the artists and their willingness to pay high costs to get access to these concerts. The recent Coldplay tickets debacle is proof.
Apart from ticket scalping, which was a major issue, many fans fell prey to cyber fraudsters selling fake tickets. One such incident was reported at the Chunabhatti police station, where a college student claimed to have purchased 24 tickets for himself and his friends, approximately worth Rs. 2.2 lakhs. He later found out that the tickets were fake and the confirmation e-mail he received was from a fake ID, resembling the official BookMyShow domain.
Also Read: Mumbai: College youth duped with fake Coldplay tickets
When tickets for popular shows and concerts are sold, the fans’ anticipation gives birth to a breeding ground for such activities. But why do people fall prey?
Nirali Bhatia, cyber psychologist, psychotherapist and founder of Cyber B.A.A.P. (an anti-cyberbullying organisation), explains, “These cyber criminals target an innate trait of humans – greed. We all want to be the first ones, the best ones, get the best deals, be a part of what’s trending, fight the FOMO, etc. For scamsters, this is an opportunity to make quick money. They think they’ll always find someone who will be in a rush to get the tickets and will fall prey.”
Scams to be careful of
There are various ways in which a cyber fraudster can target fans.
Cyber crime investigator Ritesh Bhatia informs, “Even though there was only one authorised ticket seller for Coldplay’s Mumbai concert, ticket scalping was a major issue. That is a problem on a larger level when someone takes advantage of the situation.”
Discussing specific scams that one must be aware of, he says, “There might be several unauthorised websites reselling the tickets, whose authenticity is not known. Fake websites may claim to sell tickets at a cheaper price or offer other deals. These may have domain names resembling the official ticketing website and fans often don’t notice the difference in a rush. Phishing is a major issue.”
“Additionally, scamsters can also target people through ads on social media. So, people must be careful not to fall prey to all this,” he adds.
How to protect yourself from cyber scams while purchasing tickets
In these situations, one must know how to protect themselves from such scams. Verifying information is the most important step towards accomplishing that.
“In an online world, we cannot act on impulse. We have to read everything carefully. Because of this fast-moving multimedia content, we have shifted from reading to only scanning. That is what scamsters take advantage of. If they make the page look like the official website visually, not many might pay attention to minute details through which they will be able to differentiate between the fake one and the actual one. So, slow down and verify everything before taking any action,” suggests Nirali.
Speaking of a broader thought process that might help people stay away from cyber scams, she says, “We need to avoid the rush, the FOMO, the drive to be with the trend. These are the vulnerabilities that scamsters exploit.”
Ritesh shares the following tips:
- Buy tickets only from the official website.
- Don’t trust the ads you see on social media or elsewhere. Always verify the official handles and domain names of the authorised vendor.
- Don’t ever enter your credit card or other financial information on random sites. They are not trustworthy.
General guidelines to follow while making online purchases
One can stay protected from cyber fraud by following some simple guidelines. Advocate Prashant Mali, a cybersecurity, cyber law and data protection expert, and author, suggests the following:
- Purchase only from official sources or authorised ticket vendors.
- Be cautious of deals that seem too good to be true.
- Check for “https://” and a padlock icon in the URL.
- Use secure payment methods like credit cards or trusted digital wallets.
- Avoid using public Wi-Fi for transactions.
- Be cautious of phishing emails and fake links.
- Check reviews and ratings of platforms or sellers before purchasing.
- Enable two-factor authentication (2FA) on accounts linked to payments.
- Monitor your bank statements for any unauthorised charges.
Also Read: Lights, sound, action! Tracing the dynamics of concert culture in India
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