Scammers create fake Indian cricket league to dupe gamblers

Scammers set up an elaborate fake Indian Premier League tournament and used farm labourers to pose as cricketers in order to dupe Russian gamblers, said police in Mehsana, India. The conmen received thousands of pounds from the unwitting Russian punters who believed they were watching real matches streamed online. A local man who could perform a convincing impersonation of commentator Harsha Bhogle was brought in to add authenticity to the footage. “It’s not cricket,” remarked The Times.

People ‘like hearing from old friends’

People are pleased to be contacted by old friends they have not heard from for years, according to a new study. Researchers from the universities of Pittsburgh, New Jersey and Kansas found that many people fear their friends will find it strange or unwelcome to be sent a message out of the blue and that “this worry could keep them from reaching out in the first place”. However, the study, published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, discovered there is a “robust underestimation of how much other people appreciate being reached out to”.

Man makes painful toilet error

A man had an unpleasant awakening when he accidentally used toilet cleaning wipes instead of loo roll. The Metro said the error left Leon Gleed, 29, “a little red-faced and red arsed”. When he told his girlfriend what had happened she burst out laughing, said Gleed. He developed an unpleasant rash, which he said felt “like the night after a hot curry but ten times worse”.