With the excitement of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in full swing, Kaspersky warns Indian cricket fans against falling prey to scams piggybacking on the popular cricketing event. Experts from the global cybersecurity and digital company spotted three tactics that cybercriminals use to lure fans of the premier league.
The 18th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 is currently underway, having started on March 23, 2025. The tournament attracts millions of cricket enthusiasts, ranging from hardcore followers who analyze every statistic to casual fans who enjoy the high-energy entertainment.
According to Kaspersky, fraudsters are exploiting the tournament’s popularity to deceive individuals through different scam tactics.
Scam pages disguised as ticket listings
Fake IPL ticketing page
The first one is a standard ticket purchase scam. Kaspersky researchers identified websites that pretend to sell tickets for IPL matches. Fraudsters create a website that mimics official ticketing platforms with logos, branding, and realistic-looking interfaces. Victims are usually asked to make payments via a bank card, with no option for refunds. And after payment, as typically done within such schemes, tickets are never delivered.
Clearly, scammers would like to take advantage of the high demand for IPL tickets especially for the high-profile matches.
Streaming website redirecting to various scams
A website claiming to stream IPL matches
Another way cybercriminals are baiting IPL fans is through streaming websites. A page identified by Kaspersky claims to offer free live streaming of IPL matches but is actually designed to redirect users to various other scam or phishing pages that may steal personal information, infect devices with malware, or trick users into paying for non-existent goods or subscriptions.
A website using traffic manipulation to victimize IPL fans
Another scheme discovered by researchers poses as a promotional campaign, claiming to offer free IPL tickets. As part of the process, users are instructed to share their phone numbers. Additionally, potential victims are asked to send the link to groups and friends on WhatsApp — allegedly to unlock the next step for ticket delivery. Scams like these often aim to collect phone numbers for resale on the dark web or to launch phishing attacks, and may also generate revenue by manipulating traffic and showing ads.
“An event like IPL 2025 draws huge crowd both online and offline; cricket fans across the country are on the lookout for best deals in tickets and cricket merchandise. This often makes them prime targets for cybercriminals seeking to deceive and steal their data and money. Scammers exploit this consumer demand to devise various fraudulent schemes and lure consumers,” comments Purshottam Bhatia, Head of Consumer Business for India at Kaspersky.
“Now, with AI-driven phishing scams, avoiding the threats have become even more challenging for the users. In 2024, our solutions blocked 26% more phishing attempts globally as compared to 2023. We find that fraud schemes aimed at stealing data and money will continue to grow in 2025 as well, which will require consumers to be more alert and proactively safeguard their systems,” he adds.
Staying safe from IPL-related scams
To safeguard Indians against IPL-related scams, Kaspersky has existing promotions for their consumer suite, including its flagship Kaspersky Premium.
This award-winning solution has several features that tackle the different types of IPL-related scams including:
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