As the Paris Summer Olympics approach, fans are being advised to stay vigilant against scams targeting their money and personal data.
Fake ticket websites are prevalent, with the Olympics Committee recently warning that fraudsters are offering free tickets to the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paralympic Games for just the cost of postage.
Researchers at security firm Kaspersky report that numerous scam websites are offering tickets for Olympic events at “exclusive” prices or claiming to have seats for sold-out competitions.
“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.”
Anyone can fall for such scams. Even the family of Olympic swimmer Matt Richards lost £2,500 ($3,225) through this type of fraud.
Some fake websites are highly prominent. One, identified by security firm Proofpoint, was listed as the second sponsored search result on Google—just after the official website—when searching for “Paris 2024 tickets.”
“Unsuspecting users likely clicked on the website because it appeared to be a legitimate entity specializing 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 been shut down, and 140 have received 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 fraudsters to infiltrate corporate networks.
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, a 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.”