Fans hoping to attend the 2026 World Cup opening match in Mexico City are now victims of a troubling scam involving fake ticket sales. Daniel Ramírez Arévalo allegedly sold around 60 non-existent tickets for the June 11 game between Mexico and South Africa at the Estadio Ciudad de México, collecting approximately 14 million pesos from buyers.

According to testimonies shared on social media, Ramírez offered tickets in three categories: 40 in the upper stands, 10 in the lower stands, and 10 in the midfield zone. Prices ranged from 23,000 to 90,000 pesos per ticket, with promises that buyers would receive their passes before the match. However, as the game day approached, Ramírez reportedly delayed delivery and eventually cut off all communication.

One affected buyer described Ramírez’s sudden lifestyle change, noting he was living extravagantly—getting married in Morelos in what seemed like a high-profile wedding and even attending events at the Santiago Bernabéu stadium in Spain. This ostentation contrasted sharply with his failure to deliver the tickets.

In a disturbing twist, Ramírez circulated an audio message claiming his mother had died, seemingly to explain his silence: “I haven’t answered for a couple of days… I want to share that my mom passed away. We buried her, that’s all.” However, his mother later publicly denied her death and even posted a missing person alert for her son, which was shared by the State of Mexico’s Search Commission (Comisión de Búsqueda de Personas del Edoméx), intensifying public scrutiny.

Victims have taken to social media to expose the alleged fraud and warn others, but as of June 18, 2026, no official judicial statement has been released regarding Ramírez’s legal status. This case highlights the risks fans face in the secondary ticket market and underscores the need for transparent, accessible, and trustworthy ticket distribution systems—like the upcoming cablebús and teleférico projects in Puebla—that aim to improve public transport and event access for all, especially marginalized communities.

For migrants and international residents in Mexico, this story serves as a cautionary tale about verifying sources and staying vigilant in digital transactions, especially when large sums and major events are involved.