The FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar has already begun! 2022’s most major global event is drawing hundreds of millions of football enthusiasts from all over the world since November 20th, all the way to December 18th.
However, as we have seen in the past, internet fraudsters typically take advantage of the hype surrounding such important events to scam not just sports enthusiasts.
Let's take a look at how fraudsters are ramping up their efforts in the run-up toward the quadrennial event, and how you may avoid falling victim to their schemes.
Lottery Scams
One tried-and-true type of scam involves thieves convincing victims that they have won a cash award or a ticket or hospitality package to attend a live match. The true goal, though, is usually the same: to convince you to hand up your personal data or money, or to unknowingly put data-stealing software into your device.
Internet researchers have discovered a number of global phishing attempts that aim to fool users into believing they have won a lottery jackpot. To claim your "winnings," it appears that you simply need to fill out a few lines on a form and supply personal information like your complete name, date of birth, and phone number.
Fraudulent Websites
A more effective type of phishing scam comprises rogue websites posing as legitimate ones. Links to them are also circulated via spam emails, bogus social media pages, and discussion boards.
Whether these sites are clones of legal sites or not, the important issue is that they are created in order to steal personal and financial data, login passwords, and other sensitive information, or to implant malware on victims' computers.
Ticket scams
Scammers are trying to sell fake tickets via email but these messages were actually just phishing attempts. Tickets to a World Cup 2022 match can be had for as little as $11 for group matches or as much as $1,600 for the final, noted the report. A number of fans have already reported receiving emails from "FIFA officials" offering tickets for sale. At the same time, hackers pretend to be from FIFA teams’ helpdesk, and are sending email that shows a fake alert notification regarding the de-activation of two factor authentication and are redirecting the user to a phishing page, researchers said.
Flight Scams
Researchers found fake travel agency sites offering plane tickets to Doha, Qatar. Internet users need to be wary of fake sites like this because cybercriminals would request to enter personal data and banking information under the pretext of booking a flight ticket.
Such webpages show all the classic signs of a scam – nice appearance, wrong spelling, freshly registered domain, and limited functionality of the site. Although the sites mimic a global airfare aggregator, the user can only choose Qatar in the list of destination countries. Once flight details are entered, the victim is offered the chance to enter personal data along with ID and credit information
Tips To Avoid Such Scams
Look out for phishing attacks. Don’t click on links or attachments in emails or other messages unless you’re sure they’re legitimate, especially if they request your personal data.
Do not pay someone to obtain a reward. Advance fee schemes are a type of theft strategy.
On all accounts, especially those that hold your sensitive information, use two-factor authentication. By doing this, the likelihood that hackers would use stolen or phished credentials to unlock them is decreased.
Keep an eye out for errors in grammar and spelling, odd URLs, the absence of security certifications, and other red flags while visiting websites, especially if they demand for your money or personal information.
Make use of dependable, multi-layered security software with anti-phishing features.
Don't give your personal data to anyone who asks for it since it could be used fraudulently straight soon or sold on the dark web later.
Using a free public Wi-Fi connection is risky. User data on these networks is unprotected, which makes it vulnerable to cyber criminals,
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