Football fans tricked into buying 10 times more expensive tickets to watch World Cup 2018

Kaspersky Lab experts have identified phishing emails from people offering “invitations” to fans to the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Fraudsters are taking money and collecting users’ personal data, including payment details, to steal money from even more sources.

Many people were tricked into buying 2018 World Cup tickets for 10 times the original price but were unable to use them.

According to technology experts, major events always attract the attention of scammers, making it easier for them to attack unsuspecting "prey" because recipients are always attracted by seemingly legitimate emails focusing on global sports championships. The upcoming World Cup is no exception.

This event is particularly interesting because there are many factors that make the ticket purchasing process complicated. For example, tickets can only be purchased on the official FIFA website and must go through many complicated procedures for security reasons. Booking tickets takes 3 steps and each person can only buy 1 ticket.

Guest tickets are an exception, allowing the purchaser to purchase up to three additional tickets. However, they are registered in a specific name and can only be changed by the owner authorizing the transfer of the ticket to another person. Despite the complicated process, scammers still use this to their advantage.

When the tickets went on sale, the official website was flooded with people trying to book tickets, causing problems with the internet connection. During this process, scammers tried to buy as many tickets as possible to sell to those who didn’t have a chance to book. When the tickets were sold out, many people were left with no choice but to turn to touts or third parties to get into the game.

Fraudsters have set up hundreds of World Cup-related domain names to sell tickets. Many have doubled the price, while others have increased it tenfold. With a 100% prepayment requirement, there is no guarantee that the tickets will be delivered and that the tickets will be valid at the stadium. One thing is for sure, according to Kaspersky Lab, the payment information of users who buy tickets when given to fraudsters will be exploited more in the future.

“According to our research, it is really risky for users to pay a large amount of money and get nothing in return. This new form of fraud can also lead to further theft of money. We urge sports fans to be extremely cautious and knowledgeable when buying tickets. No matter how attractive the ticket price is, make sure you are not tricked into letting the seller use your information,” warns Andrey Kostin, Senior Web Content Analyst at Kaspersky Lab.

To ensure that users do not fall victim to this type of scam, Kaspersky Lab's anti-phishing systems help detect and block fraudulent websites and emails. There are also some simple steps football fans can take to keep themselves and their wallets safe, both before and after the World Cup:

Be vigilant. Only buy tickets from official sites and always double-check the website address and links you want to follow. Do not follow links in emails, text messages, messages, or social media posts if they come from a person or organization you don't know, or if they seem suspicious or unusual.

Have a separate bank card and account with a limited amount of money, especially for online transactions. This will help avoid financial losses when your bank account is stolen. Eliminate risky data. Install a reliable protection solution that is constantly updated with data about malicious or fraudulent websites.