Kathmandu, June 5 -- 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 prospe...