Five FIFA scams to watch out for online
NetNames, the leading online brand protection company, has released details of the most prevalent scams to watch out for in the run up to this year’s FIFA World Cup in Brazil. The company has already seen an increase in online scams targeting football fans and predicts there will be a further spike in cyber-criminal activity when the tournament begins.
The top five scams identified by NetNames are:
1. Fraudulent tickets
Although 2.3 million legitimate tickets have already been allocated via FIFA.com, the exclusive sales platform for the 2014 FIFA World Cup, a simple search for the term “Brazil World Cup tickets” on Google provides hundreds of thousands of results. Among these search results, NetNames research uncovered thousands of fraudulent ticket listings, with prices ranging from £180 for Brazil vs. Mexico in the first round of the group stage, to £2,370 for the final on 13th July. Some organisations with no official link to FIFA or the organising committee state that they can “provide authentic tickets for all games” or “guarantee best tickets”.
2. Fake England strip
England’s latest kit deal with Nike, worth approximately £25 million per year, is the second most valuable sponsorship deal ever. The England World Cup shirt was revealed the first week of April, with a price tag of £90. Within hours, counterfeit shirts started appearing on marketplace sites, selling for just a fraction of the price. Some of these online marketplace sellers offer quantities in excess of 100 units at a time.
3. Unofficial apps
This year’s World Cup will see more fans access information via their smartphone than ever before. FIFA has an official app that is free for users, but a simple search on some of the major app stores reveals a host of unofficial apps that could be dangerous for fans. For example, the “Fifa World Cup 2014 Live Match” app features official colours and logos and appears to illegally stream matches live. Users need to be cautious as rogue mobile apps are capable of infecting devices with viruses and can also access personal data.
4. Dubious sponsor websites
Online security company Symantec has already highlighted a number of websites that have been designed to look like official FIFA World Cup Sponsor sites, aiming to trick users into handing over personal details in return for big prizes. “Right now, spammers are reliant on the massive wave of excitement and expectation that typically surrounds an event like the FIFA World Cup,” said Paul Wood, senior analyst at Symantec. This threat does not end at a phony webpage and browsers could also end up being spammed by pop-ups, texts or ticket lotteries.
5. Betting sites
One of the most popular traditions of the World Cup is betting, whether on the winning team, top goal scorer or individual match outcomes. Most fans will probably be using the mainstream betting companies to place their bets, but some may be lured by other alternatives. For example, Bit on Soccer allows fans to bet and win Bitcoins – the unregulated virtual currency. Other sites, such as FIFA Now’s betting ‘tool’, appear to have no relation with football’s international organising body.
Stuart Fuller, Director of Commercial Operations and Communications at NetNames, comments on the dangers of online World Cup scams: “The internet can be a dangerous place for football fans and big brands. As the football community gears up for the sport’s biggest occasion, so too are cyber criminals, intent on exploiting fans’ enthusiasm. Fraudsters are deploying increasingly sophisticated tactics, taking advantage of SEO, affiliate networks and varying international jurisdictions. The onus falls to big brands to do as much as possible to protect their customers from phony websites and apps. Brands need the ability to monitor the internet for infringements in real time so they can minimise the threat to fans. Given the global nature of the internet and the World Cup, it’s crucial that brands take into account the diverse attitudes to intellectual property in different countries so they can follow the correct legal procedures and get fraudulent websites or listings quickly taken down.”