Your World Cup scam survival guide
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Illustration: Lindsey Bailey/Axios
Kansas City's turn on the World Cup stage is open season for online scammers, and a former Secret Service agent says the fix is mostly slowing down before you tap "buy."
The big picture: "Cyber criminals follow attention, and wherever the world's attention goes, scams and frauds are usually close behind," says Justin Miller, who spent 25 years chasing fraud for the Secret Service and now teaches cybersecurity at the University of Tulsa.
Driving the news: It can happen anywhere. Two locals recently lost $600 to a Facebook seller pushing fake FIFA Fan Festival upgrades, FOX4 reported.
- The catch they learned too late: FIFA tickets only move through FIFA's official site, and a real seller never tacks on fees to hand them over.
By the numbers: Security firm Fortinet counted more than 13,000 World Cup-themed web domains registered from January to May, about 9% flagged as malicious or suspicious.
- Roughly 40% of people who watch on illegal "free stream" sites lose money to fraud or stolen card data, researchers at the cybersecurity company Flare told the AP. Many of those links also hide malware.
Pro tips: "If you wouldn't trust a random link, don't automatically trust a random QR code," he tells Axios. Scammers tape fake QR codes over real menus and parking signs.
- Ignore unsolicited texts and DMs hawking tickets, merch or streams, and reach FIFA by typing fifa.com straight into your browser, the FBI advises.
If you get hit, move fast and match the response to the damage, Miller says.
- Lost a card number? Lock the card in your bank app. Gave up a login or password? That one's urgent, so change it and call your bank right away.
- Report it to the Internet Crime Complaint Center or the FTC.
The bottom line: Miller says to ask yourself one question before you click: "Would this opportunity have come to me if the World Cup weren't here right now?"