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With advance bookings for bus and train trips surrounding the Eid-ul-Fitr holidays now closed, a ‘black market’ has seemingly emerged on Facebook to cater to the high demand for tickets as Ramadan nears its end.
Numerous pages on the social media platform are flooded with posts advertising train tickets for different destinations. Many unsuspecting buyers are falling prey to scams in the process as fraudsters look to exploit the demand for tickets.
Most of these posts focus on train tickets to northern destinations, though a few are for other routes. Some also offer bus tickets.
Many users are desperately seeking tickets and posting their requests in groups, such as "Online Train Ticket (Ticket Bazar)", "Train Ticket Buy & Sell", "Online Ticket Bazar", and "Online Train Ticket Information", which have become hotspots for sketchy deals.
Some users are genuinely looking to offload tickets they bought but can no longer use, often sharing photos of the passes as proof. But others claim they can provide tickets for any train, route or class -- often for fraudulent ends.
SCAMMERS EXPLOIT HIGH DEMAND
In the "Online Train Ticket (Ticket Bazar)" group, a user named Nuhayel Shishir posted around 12:30am on Friday, offering train tickets from Dhaka to Dinajpur, Thakurgaon, and Panchagarh for Mar 28, 29 and 30.
He claimed that buyers could collect their tickets "in person or through an admin deal".
When contacted via Messenger, Nuhayel assured that he could arrange any ticket. Asked specifically about two AC seats to Dinajpur on Mar 30, he offered Snigdha class tickets on the Ekota Express at Tk 2,000 apiece, though the official rate is Tk 1,421.
When asked how he obtained so many tickets, he responded: “I only have three for the 30th. The rest are being arranged with others.”
Another seller, MD Sabbir Rahman, posted about tickets to Dinajpur, quoting Tk 1,000 for a non-AC (Shovon Chair) ticket, the official price of which is Tk 630.
Similarly, a user named Abul Hasan Azhari posted: “Assalamu Alaikum. If you need train tickets for any route from Dhaka, inbox me. I can arrange tickets for all routes, In sha Allah.”
However, when attempts were made to contact him, he did not respond.
FRAUDULENT TRANSACTIONS AND FAKE NUMBERS
Scammers have turned these ticket-centric Facebook pages into their hunting grounds. In the "Train and Bus Ticket Buy & Sell Service" group, a user named Nazmul Islam Prince posted a contact number, claiming to sell tickets for any destination.
When contacted on Friday morning, he offered four AC tickets from Dhaka to Rangpur for Mar 30, demanding Tk 1,300 per ticket and asking for payment via bKash.
After the buyer sent money for a ticket, the seller claimed the transaction had failed and provided a new number for payment.
However, an attempt to send money to the number triggered a message on the bKash app, which said the transaction was not possible. After that, the scammer stopped responding and eventually blocked the buyer's number.
Another user, Rakibul Islam, posted in the same group, offering tickets for various routes, including Dhaka, Cox’s Bazar, Rajshahi, Natore, Santahar, Dinajpur, Panchagarh, Rangpur, Kurigram, Chattogram, Sylhet and Khulna. He provided a "100 percent guarantee" of ticket delivery.
BUS TICKETS SCAMS ON THE RISE
Bus travellers are also on scammers' radars. The standard non-AC bus fare from Dhaka to Rangpur is Tk 860, but scammers often inflate the price to rip off desperate buyers.
In the "Train and Bus Ticket Buy & Sell Service" group, a user named Yasir Arafat Antor posted about selling tickets for Shyamoli Paribahan, saying the prices were negotiable. However, attempts to contact him were unsuccessful.
Addressing these dubious activities on social media, Bangladesh Railway Director General Md Afzal Hossain said that fraudsters were exploiting the Eid rush to deceive buyers.
He confirmed that all train tickets were sold exclusively online and that no other sales channels were authorised. Additionally, ticket resales are illegal.
“We consider these activities entirely fraudulent. We will forward these links and phone numbers to intelligence agencies for investigation,” he said.
When asked whether individuals could buy extra tickets and resell them, Afzal said: “According to railway ticketing rules, tickets cannot be transferred from one person to another. Violators will face fines. We will implement strict checks at stations to ensure that passengers travel with tickets registered in their names. If a ticket is found with someone other than the registered holder, we will cancel it and impose fines.”