AZE.US
Passengers searching for scarce tickets on the Baku-Tbilisi-Baku train are reportedly being targeted by fraudulent social media accounts offering tickets that do not exist.
As AZE.US reports, political activist Nargiz Aliyeva said she became a victim of the alleged scheme while attempting to purchase a ticket from Tbilisi to Baku.
According to Aliyeva, individuals behind the operation create TikTok pages designed to resemble official accounts of Azerbaijan Railways, or ADY. They promise to arrange tickets for passengers who have been unable to secure seats through regular sales channels.
Customers are then instructed to transfer money using various payment details, including accounts reportedly connected to the AjaraBet online gambling platform. Once the payment is completed, no ticket is provided, and the purported sellers stop responding to calls and messages.
Aliyeva said some of the TikTok accounts remain active for only a few days before disappearing. She has filed a formal complaint with police and said an investigation has been launched.
She urged other people who may have lost money through similar transactions to preserve payment receipts, correspondence, telephone numbers and other evidence and submit the material to law enforcement agencies.
Aliyeva later cautioned that the person whose account received one of the payments might also have been used by the organizers and could be another victim. The identities of those responsible for the alleged scheme have therefore not been officially established.
The fraud reports have emerged amid strong demand and limited availability of tickets on the recently restored international route. Passengers in Georgia have complained about difficulties purchasing tickets online and, in some cases, have asked relatives or acquaintances in Azerbaijan to approach ticket offices on their behalf. Seats at physical ticket counters are also reported to sell out quickly.
The shortage has created an opportunity not only for ticket resellers but also for scammers posing as intermediaries or representatives of the railway company.
ADY recently extended its advance sales window from 30 to 44 days and said it plans to expand it gradually to 90 days. The railway operator is also working to increase passenger capacity on the route.
Tickets should be purchased only through the official ADY ticketing platform or authorized ticket offices. Payments to personal accounts, telephone numbers or online gambling accounts are not part of the railway’s official ticketing system.
Passengers are advised not to trust a social media page solely because it uses the ADY name, logo or photographs. Those elements can easily be copied and do not prove that an account is affiliated with Azerbaijan Railways.
AZE.US