Reports from the ongoing North America World Cup indicate that a Mexican woman has been taken into custody over her alleged role in a series of World Cup ticket scams that saw desperate fans lose nearly $1.7 million.
According to news outlet The Daily Mail, Lidia Silva Cruz was arrested by police in Tlalnepantla de Baz, near Mexico City, for her alleged involvement in the scheme alongside her boyfriend, who is still said to be on the run.
Cruz and her boyfriend, Simon Selmen, allegedly agreed to meet a couple at a bank in Coacalco on May 22 after promising them highly sought-after tickets to the World Cup opener on June 11.
Instead of receiving tickets to the game, the victims were allegedly forced into a car at gunpoint before the suspects fled with $4,600.
According to Imagen TV, the incident was just a small part of a much larger scheme that reportedly robbed World Cup fans of nearly $870,000 after the suspects promised VIP suites to supporters.
Mexican journalist Carlos Jimenez shed light on the case after sharing details and arrest footage from the scene.
Another alleged scammer, Edgar Ramirez, is also on the run after authorities in Mexico City claimed he sold $870,000 worth of fake tickets to fans desperate to watch the Mexico vs South Africa match.
Ramirez allegedly sold more than 60 fake tickets to the game but failed to meet fans outside the stadium on match day. Authorities say he later gave excuses, including claiming that his mother had died, before eventually stopping answering calls and text messages as the day approached.
In a bizarre twist, his wife, Areli Nava, reportedly filed a missing person report for him in the lead-up to the game.
Ramirez allegedly claimed he had access to the tickets through a sponsor and instructed fans to meet him outside the stadium at 10 a.m. He reportedly told them to wear black T-shirts, light-colored jeans, and white sneakers.