FIFA World Cup 2022 is in its last stages. Argentina will face old foes France on Sunday (December 18) in the finals. Since the very start of FIFA World Cup 2022 in November, emotions have touched new highs and, unfortunately, so have the cybercrimes related to this global sports event. Scores of reports urged fans across the world to be wary of cybercriminals lurking to latch on every opportunity to cause damage.
There have been reports highlighting the social engineering techniques that hackers use to target a large population. Online scammers have been stealing identities and financial information.
A recent report by IT security intelligence firm CloudSEK said that attack vectors are using different ways to lure football fans and con them. Some of these include fake entry permits, fake cryptocurrency and betting websites.
Here are some of the ways that cyber criminals are using to trap their victims and steal their crucial personal data.
Fake Hayya cards using Telegram
One of the most highlighted scams that cybercriminals are able to pull off is the use of multiple Telegram channels to sell Hayya cards (FIFA entry permit) for prices ranging from $50 to $150. The threat actors ask their victims’ valid IDs like passports to create Hayya cards and tell them to pay only in Bitcoin.
They even ran schemes wherein they advertised that event-goers can register for a Hayya card without a valid FIFA ticket number, for free. The criminals exploited the gap between the demand and supply of tickets, which tend to sell quickly as the FIFA World Cup is a popular event. Scammers also set up websites that sell fake tickets.
Fake cryptocurrency
Cyber criminals are also taking advantage of the popularity of cryptocurrency. It is to be noted that crypto currency platform Crypto.com is an official FIFA sponsor and Binance partnered with Cristiano Ronaldo to promote soccer-themed NFTs. Hackers are selling limited edition fake cryptocurrency such as ‘World Cup Coin’ and ‘World Cup Token’.
Fake contests
As per cybersecurity company McAfee, one of the most common schemes cybercriminals employ to target victims is fake contests. In these attacks, phishers capitalise on World Cup excitement and compel victims to grab “offers that any other time of the year they would treat with scepticism.” Cybercriminals slid their phishing mails between legitimate giveaways in an attempt to hack users.
Travel scams
Travelling is another area where cybercriminals pounce on opportunities to do the damage. Flights, hotels, rental cars, dining costs and tourist attraction often end up in long bills. Scammers know this and they target people with fake ads offering cheap flights, hotels and travel.
Streaming Sites
At a time when everything is online, people choose to stream live matches on-the-go. However, it becomes difficult to find a good streaming website and that’s where scammers jump in to provide links to fake websites that are advertised to provide high-quality streaming.
These could be malware or ransomware spreaders in disguise. You click the link and a virus is planted on your device that steals private information or locks you out of your system.
Attack on FuboTV
Earlier this week, New York-based sports-focused live TV streaming service FuboTV was hit by a cyber attack. The attack was carried out on December 14, the day of the Qatar 2022 semifinal match between France and Morocco.
The attack disrupted the service and the company later confirmed that the incident was not related to any bandwidth constraints but was “a criminal cyber attack.” The nature of this particular attack is still not known and investigations are ongoing.
How to stay away from scams
An aware citizen is the safest citizen. In order to avoid scams that dampen your spirit, you just have to be a little aware. Pay attention to the URLs for anything suspicious and never give your personal details or log in to a website that you have not heard of.
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There have been reports highlighting the social engineering techniques that hackers use to target a large population. Online scammers have been stealing identities and financial information.
A recent report by IT security intelligence firm CloudSEK said that attack vectors are using different ways to lure football fans and con them. Some of these include fake entry permits, fake cryptocurrency and betting websites.
Here are some of the ways that cyber criminals are using to trap their victims and steal their crucial personal data.
Fake Hayya cards using Telegram
One of the most highlighted scams that cybercriminals are able to pull off is the use of multiple Telegram channels to sell Hayya cards (FIFA entry permit) for prices ranging from $50 to $150. The threat actors ask their victims’ valid IDs like passports to create Hayya cards and tell them to pay only in Bitcoin.
They even ran schemes wherein they advertised that event-goers can register for a Hayya card without a valid FIFA ticket number, for free. The criminals exploited the gap between the demand and supply of tickets, which tend to sell quickly as the FIFA World Cup is a popular event. Scammers also set up websites that sell fake tickets.
Fake cryptocurrency
Cyber criminals are also taking advantage of the popularity of cryptocurrency. It is to be noted that crypto currency platform Crypto.com is an official FIFA sponsor and Binance partnered with Cristiano Ronaldo to promote soccer-themed NFTs. Hackers are selling limited edition fake cryptocurrency such as ‘World Cup Coin’ and ‘World Cup Token’.
Fake contests
As per cybersecurity company McAfee, one of the most common schemes cybercriminals employ to target victims is fake contests. In these attacks, phishers capitalise on World Cup excitement and compel victims to grab “offers that any other time of the year they would treat with scepticism.” Cybercriminals slid their phishing mails between legitimate giveaways in an attempt to hack users.
Travel scams
Travelling is another area where cybercriminals pounce on opportunities to do the damage. Flights, hotels, rental cars, dining costs and tourist attraction often end up in long bills. Scammers know this and they target people with fake ads offering cheap flights, hotels and travel.
Streaming Sites
At a time when everything is online, people choose to stream live matches on-the-go. However, it becomes difficult to find a good streaming website and that’s where scammers jump in to provide links to fake websites that are advertised to provide high-quality streaming.
These could be malware or ransomware spreaders in disguise. You click the link and a virus is planted on your device that steals private information or locks you out of your system.
Attack on FuboTV
Earlier this week, New York-based sports-focused live TV streaming service FuboTV was hit by a cyber attack. The attack was carried out on December 14, the day of the Qatar 2022 semifinal match between France and Morocco.
The attack disrupted the service and the company later confirmed that the incident was not related to any bandwidth constraints but was “a criminal cyber attack.” The nature of this particular attack is still not known and investigations are ongoing.
How to stay away from scams
An aware citizen is the safest citizen. In order to avoid scams that dampen your spirit, you just have to be a little aware. Pay attention to the URLs for anything suspicious and never give your personal details or log in to a website that you have not heard of.
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