KATHMANDU:  With 15 days left before the FIFA World Cup tournament was set to begin, an advertisement appeared on the Facebook timeline of Parmeshwar Tiwari (name changed), a student living in a rented room in Kathmandu: “Watch the World Cup for Free.” Like football fans across the globe waiting for the World Cup, he was looking for exactly such a solution.

At that time, internet service providers and television channels in Nepal were implementing a rule requiring an additional payment of 999 Rupees to watch the live broadcast of the World Cup. The advertisement offering a free World Cup broadcast enticed Parmeshwar. He clicked on the advertisement. Within a few seconds of doing so, his mobile phone suddenly shut down. Panicking over what had happened, he switched it back on. However, by the time the phone powered up, it was already too late. Within a span of just a few minutes, Rs 20,000 had already been withdrawn from his mobile banking and eSewa accounts.

For Parmeshwar, who had sought to watch the World Cup for free to save Rs 999, that moment felt like falling off a cliff. Suspecting that he had become a victim of cyber fraud, he rushed to the Cyber Bureau of the Nepal Police located in Bhotahity, Kathmandu. Only after arriving there did he realize that his dream of watching the World Cup had landed him right into the trap of cybercriminals.

Upon investigating this incident, the Cyber Bureau uncovered shocking facts. According to the Bureau’s spokesperson, Superintendent of Police (SP) Dilip Giri, the “Free World Cup” advertisement seen on Facebook was not an official offer, but a sponsored trap set by a syndicate involved in cyber fraud. As soon as the provision requiring an additional payment of 999 Rupees to watch the World Cup broadcast was implemented, the fraudulent group weaponized enticement.

Advertisements containing alluring messages about watching the World Cup for free were widely disseminated across social media. Once a user clicked on the advertisement, a harmful “APK” file would download onto their mobile phone.

In Nepal, Media Hub Pvt. Ltd. holds the exclusive broadcasting rights for the 2026 World Cup. It is broadcasting the World Cup live by purchasing it directly from FIFA. The company claims to have spent 1.775 million USD (approximately Rs 272.5 million) for the exclusive broadcasting and media rights. Stating that the total cost of broadcasting the World Cup would reach around Rs 500 million across various categories when factoring in technical management, taxes, and other expenses for live broadcasting on television and digital platforms, it planned to collect 999 Rupees directly from customers. In accordance with that plan, currently, only those customers who pay Rs 999 are able to watch the World Cup matches via TV or the internet.

The government has not shown even the minimum level of concern regarding how the Rs 999 package was bought and sold in the market or which state agency granted permission for it. According to the Ministry of Information and Communications, the 999-Rupee package was not fixed by the government. The Ministry’s Information Officer, Rabindra Prasad Poudel, says, “Conversations did arise in the Ministry regarding what should be done about this, but the discussion ended right there with the assumption that since it is a matter of consumer rights, it might be an issue handled by the Department of Commerce.”

On the other hand, Nirman Kumar Karki, Information Officer at the Department of Commerce, Supplies and Consumer Protection, states that the Ministry of Communications itself is responsible for the matter. He says, “Service providers and regulators fall under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Communications. We cannot look into how pricing is determined or matters where the buyer and seller have mutually agreed.”

In previous years, sports TV channels from India used to broadcast the World Cup. People in Nepal could watch the World Cup through those channels without paying extra fees. This time, because FIFA retained all exclusive rights, purchasing a World Cup broadcasting package became necessary. However, Indian channels did not buy it. Since the World Cup is being held in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, most of the matches begin after 12:00 midnight. Because the number of viewers is low at night, Indian channels chose not to purchase the FIFA World Cup package after evaluating the advertising market as well. A large portion of the advertising market has now shifted toward digital platforms. There is a risk that traditional TV broadcasting will not yield the expected revenue. Furthermore, after FIFA set a high price for the World Cup broadcast, Indian companies deemed it risky to invest, anticipating low viewership and advertising revenue.

Along with this, there is the impact of the ban imposed on betting apps in India. Since the Government of India tightened regulations on fantasy real-money betting apps, the advertising revenue flowing into the sports industry has decreased.

Parmeshwar, who was defrauded after entering social media advertisements in the greed of watching the FIFA World Cup for free, is not alone. According to the Cyber Bureau, such apps had entered circulation on social media a month before the World Cup began. Complaints reached the police show that the fraudulent group, operating with the help of apps like EXE, BAT, and APK, has defrauded football lovers trying to evade the 999-Rupee fee out of more than 20 million Rupees.

Spokesperson and Superintendent of Police Giri states that fraud applications related to this began arriving at the Cyber Bureau as early as May 20, 2026. To date, 115 complaints have been filed. In those applications, victims have mentioned being defrauded in matters concerning watching World Cup football. The complaints request the recovery of a total of Rs 22.9 million lost to fraud. Giri says, “There are complaints involving fraud amounts ranging from Rs 10,000 to 180,000.”

After complaints started flowing in, the police began investigating those apps. To this day, the police have not been able to trace the IP addresses to locate where those apps are operated from. Taking the details of the complaints, the police called banks and eSewa.

However, it was found that the money was transferred from one account across ten other accounts and eventually channeled abroad. “Even though requests for fund recovery have come in, we have been unable to do so; we could not halt the money as it was moved rapidly from one account to another,” Giri says.

As complaints of fraud while attempting to watch the World Cup began to rise, the Cyber Bureau issued a public notice on June 15, 2026. “Complaints have decreased since the notice was issued warning people not to download APK files appearing on social media under descriptions like ‘Free World Cup’ or ‘Free Cinema’,” says Bureau Spokesperson Giri.

The surge in fraud under the pretext of promising free World Cup viewing is not only causing stress to the police; banks and financial institutions have also begun adopting necessary precautions. On June 19, 2026, Nepal Investment Mega Bank issued a public notice targeting its customers.

The victims of online fraud are not just illiterate people or those unaware of technology; the educated class appears to be bearing a massive blow.

‘Taking advantage of the World Cup excitement, some fraudulent groups are attempting to trap customers by displaying fake betting websites, attractive bonuses, and winning allurements. Please remain vigilant against such offers and verify thoroughly before trusting any link or offer,’ the bank stated.

The bank requested individuals not to click on suspicious links, not to share OTPs, passwords, or banking information with anyone, and to refrain from downloading unauthorized apps. Bank Spokesperson Pramod Acharya says, “Even though complaints of fraud have not been received yet, the possibility has heightened. Seeing the risk, we issued the notice for customer awareness.”

Fraud in the name of eSewa and the Cyber Bureau itself

The forms and pretexts of online fraud are changing day by day. Sometimes through advertisements for free match viewings, sometimes through attractive job offers, and at other times by calling citizens in the name of bank or digital wallet employees, attempts are made to trap the public.

One such incident came to light on June 16, 2026. On that day, a Cyber Bureau team arrested 22-year-old Shubham Sah of Madhavnarayan Municipality-2, Rautahat, who was committing fraud by claiming to be an eSewa employee. According to the investigation, he would call various individuals and claim that problems had arisen with their eSewa accounts. In that process, he also contacted the mobile number of Yak and Company Enterprises. As soon as the phone was answered, he claimed he was speaking from eSewa and attempted to build trust by citing technical reasons such as resolving account issues or updating services. His objective was to obtain sensitive information that would grant access to the user’s personal details, OTP codes, or digital wallets.

“There are reward points in your account, why haven’t you used them?” Sah said when he called the enterprise’s mobile phone.

He called repeatedly, urging them to withdraw the rewards. He stated that an OTP (One-Time Password) had to be provided to withdraw the amount. Believing he was an actual eSewa employee, a person from the company provided the OTP. Utilizing that OTP, Sah transferred Rs 198,499 from the company to the eSewa account of another company, Evolution Trading Pvt. Ltd. With that money, Sah purchased an iPhone 17.

After the account was emptied upon providing the OTP, representatives of the company approached the police and filed an application. Since Sah was within Nepal, he was arrested immediately. “He was caught because he was operating within Nepal to extract OTPs and commit fraud,” says Cyber Bureau Spokesperson Giri. “Syndicates based abroad have built apps that capture OTPs automatically; it is quite difficult to arrest such individuals.”

Individuals involved in online fraud appear to be one step ahead of the police. In May 2026, an incident occurred that deceived the police of the Cyber Bureau themselves. A group of four individuals started running a fraud operation using the name of Cyber Bureau officers. By ensuring that ‘Cyber Bureau’ would appear on Truecaller when a call was placed from their number, the group would coerce people into sending money through fear, intimidation, and enticement. The police arrested 30-year-old Deepak Limbu of Sangurigadhi Rural Municipality-3, Dhankuta; 21-year-old Saurav Bhujel of Dharan Sub-Metropolitan City-9; 28-year-old Sajal Rai of Dharan-13; and 24-year-old Srijan Thapa of Inaruwa Municipality-6 on charges of involvement in the act. Superintendent of Police Giri says, “Even though the amounts were small, cybercrime incidents have occurred by deceiving the state’s security agency itself. A situation is developing where the police themselves must remain hyper-vigilant.”

Alarming cybercrime

Cybercrime in Nepal is no longer limited to sporadic incidents; it is spreading at a rapid pace in newer forms. Along with increased access to technology, incidents of digital fraud, online blackmail, fake accounts, financial scams, and social media misuse have gained momentum.

Data from the Cyber Bureau of the Nepal Police reflects this exact trend. According to the Bureau’s Superintendent of Police Giri, during the current fiscal year 2025/2026 up to June 21, 2026 alone, 19,334 incidents concerning cybercrime reached the police. In the previous fiscal year 2024/2025, this number stood at 18,926.

When compared with the situation four years ago, the cybercrime graph shows a terrifying upward trajectory. In the fiscal year 2021/2022, only 4,686 incidents related to cybercrime reached the police. Following that, in the fiscal year 2022/2023, the number rose to 9,013. In the fiscal year 2023/2024, the figure more than doubled, reaching 19,730.

The statistics reveal that cybercrime complaints have increased approximately fivefold in four years. This indicates that along with the digital transformation of Nepali society, criminal activities have also migrated toward the virtual world.

“In recent years, fraud committed specifically through social media, online investment allurements, scams under the name of ‘Work from Home’ and ‘Task Completion’, blackmail through fake profiles, and crimes targeting banking and digital wallets have increased rapidly,” says Superintendent of Police Giri. Giri adds that due to the growing trends of cybercrime, cybersecurity has emerged not just as a technical issue, but as a challenge linked directly to national security, economic security, and citizen safety.

Out of the 19,334 incidents that came to the Bureau’s knowledge up to June 22, 2026 in the fiscal year 2025/2026, 6,684 applications have been registered. Among them, 579 complaints have been resolved. The remaining 6,105 complaints are in the process of investigation. That is to say, neither the defrauded amount nor the individuals involved in the acts have been traced. “Although some amounts can be refunded in cybercrime cases involving financial fraud, this remains highly challenging,” Giri says.

In the fiscal year 2024/2025, 7,740 applications were registered at the Bureau. Among them, 1,826 applications were resolved. In the remaining applications, the police could neither identify the perpetrator nor recover the lost amounts. Those applications contained grievances of fraud exceeding Rs 2 billion.

Scams via the web of enticement

According to Cyber Bureau police officers, financially motivated cyberattacks are becoming challenging. Statistics show that cybercrime is growing on an economic foundation. Up to June 22, 2026 of the current fiscal year, 6,735 incidents of financial fraud through cybercrime reached the police. In the previous fiscal year, 7,732 such incidents had reached the Bureau.

According to the police, the trend of hacking accounts and committing fraud by gaining access to OTPs is highly prevalent in such crimes. Previously, many individuals fell victim to fraud upon opening advertisements labeled “Online Job” on social media. Currently, the number of people defrauded through bank account and eSewa wallet hacks, or by giving away OTPs, has increased. Financial fraud incidents stood at 165 in 2021, showing a year-on-year increase. “It is estimated that such incidents will reach 8,000 by the end of the current fiscal year,” Giri says.

Social media has become another prominent medium for cybercrime. Scammers creating fake IDs of other individuals or organizations on social media have grown in number. In the current fiscal year, 4,008 such incidents reached the police.

Similarly, another form of cybercrime involves defrauding money by hacking or gaining unauthorized access to others’ social media accounts. In the current fiscal year, 2,098 such incidents reached the police. Fraud under advertisements labeled ‘Online Job’ on social media persists, though it has decreased compared to the previous year. Until last year, Telegram was in common usage. Now it has phased out, and names like ‘Dr. Sunny’ and ‘Dr. Imran’ are in circulation. Opening the advertisement directs users to the WhatsApp accounts of those individuals. They commit financial fraud under the pretext of assigning work. There are 1,108 recorded incidents of fraud under ‘Online Job’. In the fiscal year 2024/2025, there were 2,053 such incidents.

There is another group committing fraud on Facebook and Instagram. It posts advertisements under the title ‘Online Shop’. It puts up advertisements reading phrases like, ‘Take a item worth one thousand for just five hundred.’ It states that ‘items will be delivered to your doorstep.’ Advertisements for watches, computers, mobiles, clothes, and apparel are found there. After entering the advertisement, it requests online payment. Captivated by this, people make online payments. Once the payment is made, the advertisement itself vanishes, let alone the delivery of goods! Since July/August of last year, 758 complaints related to this type of fraud have been registered.

“You won a lottery, I am sending a gift!” People often get thrilled upon seeing such messages. Ultimately, after being defrauded, they end up at the police station to file complaints. Online fraud where individuals are first asked to send money under the pretext of winning a lottery or receiving a gift, only for the perpetrators to disappear after receiving it, appears to be flourishing. 942 applications have been registered under this category.

Similarly, syndicates that swindle money by hacking social media are active. They initiate conversations, eventually gain access to and hack social media profiles, and ultimately bargain for money. 868 applications have been registered regarding such fraud.

Furthermore, there are groups that defraud individuals under the guise of Cryptocurrency, Binance, Forex Trade, and Online Investment. Syndicates operating under the pretext of exchanging MasterCard/gaming coins, UC, and money remain active. The Bureau reports that groups swindling people under the pretext of booking PTE and interview dates for Australia are also active.

There are also groups that defraud individuals under the guise of sending them for foreign employment or finding rooms for rent. Another group sends messages on social media saying, “You have received an inheritance.” It swindles people by creating the illusion that they have come into someone’s property, claiming that some money is required to process and receive it.

In total, Bureau Spokesperson and Superintendent of Police Giri states that 6,684 complaints of online fraud have been filed since July/August. It is estimated that more than Rs 2 billion have been lost to fraud across these complaints. While information on the damages from the Rs 999 FIFA package was shared, the Bureau refused to provide detailed accounts regarding the broader economic toll generated by rising cybercrime in the country. The Police Headquarters itself has declined to provide the breakdown. “There is an instruction from the Police Headquarters not to disclose details of economic losses,” says Superintendent of Police Giri. Although Central Police Spokesperson and Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Dan Bahadur Karki assured that the details would be provided, they were not made available.

The police claim that individuals from Africa, Europe, and India are heavily involved in this form of online fraud. However, the police have not been able to trace where the group is located or how they establish contact with Nepali citizens. None of the social media platforms currently in use are bound by Nepali law. Giri states that because mutual legal assistance is absent for this type of fraud, individuals cannot be arrested and brought from abroad.

The victims of online fraud are not just illiterate people or those unaware of technology; the educated class appears to be bearing a massive blow. According to the Cyber Bureau, students, young men and women educated up to graduation or post-graduation levels, and individuals who remain unemployed despite being educated are increasingly falling into the fraud trap. Educated individuals who are sitting without jobs view advertisements appearing on social media, enter online job advertisements, and ultimately get defrauded themselves. Bureau officers state that citizens must become self-aware to protect themselves from such fraud and must question the enticements that follow them.

In most cases of online fraud, the same pattern repeats itself. An unfamiliar person contacts an individual claiming to be an employee of a bank, digital wallet, or a prestigious institution. Following that, they ask for bank account details, request them to reveal OTP codes, ask them to scan or send QR codes, instruct them to transfer money under the guise of ‘verifying’ funds, or attempt to cause fund transfers under various pretexts. These activities, which seem ordinary, ultimately become the primary channels through which money is stolen from accounts.

Cyber Bureau Superintendent of Police Giri states that the tendency to immediately click on advertisements seen on social media, open links sent by unfamiliar persons, or provide personal and banking details without understanding anything is causing fraud incidents to rise. He says, “Cybercriminals weave new nets by exploiting people’s greed, haste, and limited knowledge concerning technology. Consequently, a few minutes of carelessness creates a situation where years of savings are lost.”