As the FIFA World Cup approaches, deceptive social media advertisements promising free access to matches are spreading rapidly across Nepal, triggering a wave of cyber fraud.

Authorities say scammers are using football fans’ excitement over the tournament to trick them into clicking phishing links and downloading unauthorised applications. Victims have reported losing control of their mobile phones and having money siphoned directly from their bank accounts.

Anil Dangol Maharjan of Chabahil became one of the latest victims.

While browsing Facebook on Sunday evening, he came across an advertisement claiming that World Cup matches could be watched free of charge through a platform called “NBTV”. Tempted by the prospect of watching the tournament on his mobile phone without paying, he clicked the link and attempted to download the application.

Almost immediately, his phone froze.

“At first, I had no idea what was happening,” Dangol told Kantipur. “After a while, I received notifications on my smartwatch saying money had been withdrawn from my bank accounts. That’s when I realised I had been hacked.”

Because his smartwatch was connected to his phone, he was able to see three separate transaction alerts despite his device becoming unresponsive.

“They [hackers] withdrew Rs300,000 in three transactions,” he said.

Although he quickly switched off the phone, Rs100,000 had already been withdrawn from his account at Machhapuchchhre Bank and another Rs200,000 from Nepal Bank Limited.

The following morning, he filed a complaint with the Cyber Bureau and informed the banks to suspend his online banking services.

More than a week later, he says his phone continues to display messages reading, “Download complete, please restart.”

“Once you restart the phone and enter your password, the hackers apparently get another opportunity to access your banking applications,” he said. “When we unlock our phones using fingerprint or facial recognition, they somehow gain permissions on the banking apps. It felt as though someone else had taken remote control of my phone.”

Although he has removed all downloaded APK files and resumed using the device, the experience has left him deeply shaken.

“I’m now afraid of downloading anything, even legitimate applications,” he said. “The World Cup offer tempted me, and I fell for it.”

Cybercrime linked to the World Cup has surged in Nepal in recent days, with police recording dozens of cases involving phishing attacks disguised as football streaming services.

According to police data, cybercriminals have stolen around Rs7.5 million over the past 10 to 12 days alone using World Cup-related scams.

The Cyber Bureau has received 50 complaints during that period, bureau spokesperson Dilip Kumar Giri said.

“Advertisements on Facebook claiming to offer free World Cup live streaming are directing users to phishing links,” Giri said. “We recently released awareness videos on social media warning the public about these scams.”

According to the bureau, once users grant permissions through malicious links or applications, hackers can gain extensive access to their devices and banking accounts.

“When users approve the permissions requested by these apps, hackers can gain access to their phones and empty their bank accounts,” Giri said.

Police are currently coordinating with banks to identify those involved and recover stolen funds.

“The investigation takes time because numerous complaints have been filed simultaneously, and the money is often stolen in small amounts from multiple accounts before being distributed across many other accounts,” he said. “But we are gradually tracing those responsible.”

A young man from Kavre recounted a similar incident on Thursday.

His elder brother clicked a Facebook link advertising World Cup streaming and installed an application. Soon afterwards, the phone overheated and shut down automatically.

“The phone restarted and immediately opened the mobile banking app by itself,” he said. “Rs300,000 disappeared from the account before our eyes .”

He said the device still appears to be under the hackers’ control.

“We have switched the phone off as we fear that more money could be stolen, or that personal files could be misused. We are planning to file a complaint with the Cyber Bureau.”

In many cases, losses have been limited by daily transaction ceilings of Rs100,000 or Rs200,000. However, police say some victims with higher transaction limits have lost as much as Rs1.5 million through online theft.

Authorities are urging the public not to install APK files or click suspicious links claiming to provide free World Cup broadcasts.

Instead, viewers should use only authorised television channels and licensed streaming applications, the Cyber Bureau said in its public awareness campaign.

The bureau warned that downloading unauthorised applications in pursuit of free content can expose personal information, banking credentials and other sensitive data.

In Nepal, FIFA World Cup 2026 matches will be officially available through the Himalaya Sports HD television channel and the DGO mobile application.

Broadcast rights for Nepal have been acquired by S Pro Media, which has partnered with Himalaya Television and the DGO platform to distribute coverage.

Officials say no other television channel or digital platform in Nepal has the right to broadcast the tournament.

A subscription to watch all 104 matches live on Himalaya Sports costs Rs999. Viewers using DGO can purchase a mobile-only package for Rs549 or a package covering both mobile and laptop viewing for Rs999.

The latest quarterly performance report of Nepal Police, covering the period from January 15 to April 13, 2026, shows that 4,810 complaints related to social media platforms were registered nationwide.

Of those, 1,919 were linked to Facebook and Messenger, while 1,577 involved TikTok.

A total of 3,814 complaints were filed directly with the Cyber Bureau.

Spokesperson Giri urged the public to avoid clicking unnecessary or unfamiliar links and not to risk their privacy and finances for seemingly attractive online offers.

Cybersecurity experts and police officials warn that organised fraud networks are exploiting football fans’ enthusiasm ahead of the World Cup, stealing millions of rupees before a single match has even kicked off.

They have urged the public to remain vigilant and avoid clicking on unfamiliar links, regardless of how tempting the offer may appear.