As the Paris Summer Olympics approach, fans are being advised to keep a careful eye out for scams targeting their cash and their data.
Fake ticket websites are rife, with the Olympics Committee recently warning that fraudsters are claiming to offer free tickets to the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paralympic Games for just the cost of postage.
Researchers at security firm Kaspersky say that numerous scam websites are offering tickets for Olympic competitions at “exclusive” prices, or claiming to have seats for sold-out events.
“This well-tested yet effective fraudulent scheme has resurfaced during many Olympic seasons, and Kaspersky’s experts expect such websites to proliferate during Paris 2024,” warns the firm.
“In this scenario, users fill out a data form and transfer both their personal information and money to scammers. As a result, they may receive invalid tickets or, more likely, nothing at all, leading to financial loss and their data being sold on Dark Web forums.”
And anyone can fall for such scams, with even the family of one Olympic swimmer, Matt Richards, losing £2,500 through just this type of fraud.
Some of these fake websites are highly prominent: one, identified by security firm Proofpoint, was listed as the second sponsored search result on Google – after only the official website—when searching for “Paris 2024 tickets”.
“Unsuspecting users likely clicked on the website because it appeared to be a legitimate entity that specialized in the sale of Olympic tickets. The website’s placement on the search engine under the official Paris Olympics ticket site could have further added to its legitimacy, convincing users that they were an authorized and safe source,” the researchers say.
“While this specific domain should no longer be active, we expect other bad actors to take advantage of the event and create new fraudulent Olympics-related websites.”
The French Gendarmerie Nationale has identified 338 fraudulent Olympics ticketing websites. Of these, 51 have now been shut down, with 140 receiving formal notices from law enforcement—but many more remain.
Meanwhile, according to Kaspersky, scammers are also posing as corporations offering ticket giveaways, with one fraudulent page impersonating a French bank promising a chance to win tickets.
Employees are encouraged to fill out a form with their personal details, including internet account login credentials and passwords – potentially allowing the fraudsters to infiltrate corporate networks.
And in another scam, fraudsters have set up phishing websites offering a free 48GB data package for all phone networks, again after providing personal information such as phone numbers and payment details.
“During major events like the Olympics, the sheer volume of offers can be overwhelming and deceptive,” says Anton Yatsenko, security expert at Kaspersky.
“Scammers prey on the excitement and urgency people feel, making it crucial to approach every offer with a healthy dose of skepticism. Remember, if something seems too good to be true, it probably is.”
