The FIFA World Cup is the most popular event in the sporting world which is viewed by millions of fans across the globe. However, more people watch it online and this gives hackers more chances to infiltrate into PCs and scam innocent people.
Beware Of The Scams During This World Cup 2022
1. Ticket Fraud
This menace is common in popular gathering events, including festivals and concerts, and the World Cup won’t an exception. Due to people’s susceptibility to FOMO (fear of missing out), con artists take advantage and offer victims sold-out tickets. This one is simple to avoid: only the official FIFA website should be used to purchase tickets. No tickets may be sold or resold outside of FIFA’s control. Don’t claim we didn’t warn you if not.
Also Read: Why Should You Use A VPN While Traveling
2. Lottery Swindles
It is the ideal time for cybercriminals to create a buzz around lottery offerings with the chance to win airfare, accommodation, and match tickets because many people would love to go see their national team. My suggestion is to assume the worst if you encounter any of this since you won’t be far off. However, it’s possible that some lotteries are authentic, and we can typically find out if that’s the case by doing some research online.
Also Read: How To Identify Lottery Scams And Stay Protected
3. SEO Poisoning
The most popular searches during the event are about World Cup matches, results, and news. The process of increasing a website’s relevance to search engines and making it show up on the first page of results to attract clicks and visitors is known as search engine optimization (SEO). For many years, cybercriminals have been using SEO poisoning tactics to rank their malicious website among the top results to entice victims to visit their pages for a variety of nefarious goals, such as stealing credentials or installing malware. Check the URLs before clicking on any search results to avoid blindly trusting them.
Also Read: How To Detect Innocent Searches That Can Tempt You With Malware-Infested Links
4. Social Media
Everything from Facebook to TikTok gets bombarded with football-related stuff. People are increasingly using social networks as their primary news source, therefore it becomes an easy way for the bad guys to take advantage of these platforms by distributing false information, and targeting users with malicious offers like the ones mentioned above.
Also Read: What To Do When Your Social Media Account Gets Hacked
Also Read: How To Protect Your Social Media From Hackers And Identity Theft
5. Fraud And Malware
Expect to get emails or advertising with World Cup-related news that encourage you to click on links or download and run files to steal your credentials or infect your devices.
When installing software and updates, stick to the official websites and app stores to avoid downloading programs from third parties. This increases the possibility that malware or harmful software will infect your device, giving hackers access to your data and the possibility of taking control of it.
Also Read: 6 Common Types Of Scams And How To Avoid Them
How To Protect Yourself From World Cup 2022 Scams
- Avoid clicking on suspicious links, such as those sent from unknown senders, especially those pertaining to purchases you didn’t make and accounts you don’t own. This gives hackers access to your data and lets them put spyware, ransomware, or other malware on your devices.
- Wherever possible, enable two-factor authentication. This gives your device an additional degree of security. Hackers will no longer be able to access your information, even if they manage to access your account. As the account owner must authorize the two-factor authentication to access information or data.
- When creating an online account, use a robust and one-of-a-kind password, or even better, let a password manager handle it for you. The first line of defense against hackers accessing your gadgets and personal info is a password.
- Make use of reputable security or antivirus software. Identifying and combating dangerous software on devices, enables ongoing protection against online threats or attacks. A good security plan and ensuring complete information protection both depend on antivirus software.
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The Final Word
Scammers and fraudsters are looking forward to gaining profits from the buzz created by the 32 teams battling for FIFA’s World Cup trophy as billions of football fans around the world cheer them on. Researchers have discovered new scam schemes targeting sports fans this week, including the all-too-familiar lottery and giveaway scams, even though World Cup 2022 email scams have been going around since April of this year.
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