Millions of Indian music enthusiasts sat poised at their computers, fingers hovering over keyboards earlier in September. Moments after the virtual floodgates opened for Coldplay's highly anticipated January 2025 concerts in Mumbai, the exclusive ticket partner BookMyShow's website crashed, buckled under the weight of countless eager fans.
Soon, the tickets were all sold.
So desperate fans posted pleas for tickets across social media platforms—Facebook, WhatsApp, and Telegram— unwittingly painting targets on their backs for opportunistic scammers.
"Need 4 tickets standing for Coldplay concert, any day would do," read one such post. The responses came swiftly, ranging from inflated prices—a standing ticket originally priced at Rs 6,450 now commanding Rs 35,000-40,000—to more subtle scams offering tickets at seemingly reasonable markups.
It was in this frenzied atmosphere that many fans, driven by their passion for Coldplay's music and the fear of missing out, fell prey to elaborate scams.
A Web of Deception
Sonakshi (name changed), a young woman who was desperate for a ticket to the Coldplay concert, was duped out of Rs 38,000.
"They are fluent in English, will pose as residents of abroad countries like USA, Italy or UK and start convincing you that they have the tickets by showing fake mail receipt of the tickets," she told Decode, describing the sophisticated tactics employed by these digital con artists. "The reason for reselling tickets are that they have extra tickets and have changed their plans. Third party selling platforms like Ticketmaster or Viagogo were used as logos on the fake mail receipt for further conviction."
The scammer, a woman calling herself Sonia Bosco, spun an intricate web of deception for Sonakshi. With a convincing Facebook profile and screenshots of ticket purchases from reputable sites like Ticketmaster, Sonia reeled Sonakshi in with the promise of reasonably priced tickets.
"I was approached by a woman named Sonia Bosco whose Facebook Profile seemed believable and then she quoted 8000 per Standing tickets for Coldplay concert to be held on 19th January, 2025," Sonakshi recalled. "The price wasn't much to be honest and hence I pursued the conversation with her."
What followed was a masterclass in modern scamming techniques. Sonia sent Gmail screenshots of ticket purchases, requested Sonakshi's personal details for ticket transfers, and insisted on advance payments. The trap was set, and Sonakshi took the bait.
"I paid sixteen thousand as an advance," Sonakshi admitted, her voice tinged with regret. "What I received was another believable set of 4 tickets in which our names and details of the event are mentioned along with a QR code."
As the scam unfolded, Sonia's demands for money escalated, each backed by increasingly elaborate "proof" of legitimacy. She provided WhatsApp numbers with U.S. area codes, likely using VOIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) technology to mask her true location. Sonia even produced fake invoices bearing the BookMyShow logo, explaining away inconsistencies with plausible-sounding excuses.
It wasn't until Sonia demanded an additional five thousand rupees for a "power of attorney" that Sonakshi's suspicions crystallized into a horrifying realization: she had been duped.
"I started asking for my money back and the entire conversation just became one-sided," Sonakshi said. "No calls were received, no messages were responded to and no money was paid back,” she said adding that she had sent the money through GooglePay to multiple numbers.
A Close Call: Skepticism Saves the Day
Sonakshi's story is far from unique. Rohan (name changed) narrowly escaped a similar fate, thanks to a healthy dose of skepticism and the protective measures of PayPal. His potential scammer, "Alexander," employed similar tactics but crumbled under scrutiny.
Rohan's adventure began when he accessed a WhatsApp group purportedly selling Coldplay tickets. There, he encountered Alexander, who offered six standing tickets at a suspiciously low price.
"He sent a screenshot of buying the ticket via Ticketmaster," Rohan explained. "I thought I will pay for one ticket and see whether he is telling the truth as it was just 25 dollars which he claimed per ticket."
Alexander's insistence on using PayPal's "Friends and Family" option—which offers fewer protections for buyers—raised red flags for Rohan. When pressed for details or asked to provide proof of ticket ownership, Alexander's story began to unravel.
"As expected, Alexander started saying that Ticketmaster doesn't allow only one ticket to be sent and he can't send screenshots of the bought ticket because both his screen-recorder button of the phone & screenshot button isn't working," Rohan recounted. "This seemed fishy to me from the start and I got further convinced by such statements."
Rohan's caution paid off. He used PayPal's "Goods and Services" option, which allowed him to file a complaint and put a hold on the transaction when Alexander failed to produce the promised tickets.
"I demanded for my money to be returned back but as usual Alexander stopped responding," Rohan said.
"The next day I see the same WhatsApp profile picture being used by a Facebook profile commenting on other's post seeking tickets on Facebook groups, only the name has been changed to Nathaniel instead of Alexander," he observed, pointing out how the fraudsters was quickly changing their identities to avoid leaving any digital trail.
Bigger Picture: The Ticketing System
The crash of BookMyShow's website at the crucial moment of ticket release has sparked allegations of foul play and systemic issues in the ticketing industry.
Amit Vyas, founder of a Mumbai law firm didn't mince words in his assessment of the situation: "The main fault was of BookMyShow which is leading to such rampant scams," he asserted. "One of my friends has paid 12 lakhs for a ticket in the black market. Viagogo is charging 27 lakhs per ticket currently. So if at least 50 people are paying such a huge amount for purchase of Coldplay tickets, imagine the level of scam, it's in the numerical of 1000 crores."
Vyas, along with Tejinder Singh Tiwana of the Bharatiya Janta Yuva Morcha, has filed complaints with Mumbai's Economic Offences Wing, alleging foul play and ticket scalping on a massive scale.
"How is this possible without the involvement of BookMyShow officials?" Vyas questioned, pointing to the immediate availability of tickets on resale sites like Viagogo at exorbitant prices. "There were ticketing bots who were given access by the officials who bought these tickets within few minutes during the crashing of the website and then sold to other reselling platforms at huge prices."
Tejinder Singh's complaint goes further, alleging that a BookMyShow official named Ronal Patil had posted links to buy tickets even before they officially went on sale. "I am sure these insiders already had access to the URL created for the selling of tickets and they had started using this to sell to other platforms like Viagogo or their family and friends," Singh claimed. "This is a pressure tactic to create panic among fans of Coldplay, so that they can go to any lengths to get hold of these tickets."
The implications of these allegations are far-reaching. "It's a huge exchequer loss to Indian Government as well," Vyas pointed out, highlighting the broader economic impact of these practices.
BookMyShow, in their response, shared their statement with Decode, “It has come to our attention that unauthorised platforms are listing tickets for Coldplay’s Music Of The Spheres World Tour 2025 in India, both before and after the official sale. These tickets are invalid. Ticket scalping is illegal in India and punishable by law. Please don’t fall prey to this because you will be buying fake tickets.”
The Coldplay concert in India has sparked calls for greater regulation and oversight of ticket sales processes.
Amit Vyas has indicated his willingness to escalate the matter if necessary. "I will await for EOW to investigate and bring justice to millions of people whose dreams were shattered and if need be, will file a PIL in the Bombay High court to set proper guidelines for ticket selling platforms so that such foul practices are avoided in the future,” he said.
Tejinder Singh has written to Maharashtra Home Minister Devendra Fadnavis to look into the matter and take steps against the BookMyShow platform.
“This is a pressure tactic to create panic among fans of Coldplay, so that they can go to any lengths to get hold of these tickets. In the past during Cricket World Cup and IPL matches, BookMyShow had used the same tactics. These individuals have tie ups with event management companies, ticket reselling platforms and also black marketeers. They are sold these tickets at a higher price even before the launch ticket selling for a particular event and then humongous sum of money is charged by these resellers,” he said.
Decode has reached out to the Joint Commissioner of Economics offence wing of Mumbai asking them to respond to the complaints filed. The story will be updated as and when their response is received.