Cybercrime in Sports

 

Cybercrime in Sports: Scoring Against Scams Using Sports

It's the big night! Your favorite sport's biggest championship is finally here and you're all excited to join the roar of the crowd and cheer on your team. The great publicity for the event worked. You've been convinced to attend the event, and you've gotten two spots in a promotion you found online, for you and your best friend. And then you found out the promotion was a scam and… you got scammed.

Most major sporting events have become frequent targets for cybercrime, including terrorism. While the former is not necessarily life-threatening, it can still lead to threats such as identity theft, financial loss, and reputational damage. With a large legion of fans, spectators, organizations and even government agencies investing in national and international events, they have become the perfect opportunity for cybercriminals to take advantage of fans' enthusiasm and their dependence on technology through social engineering and other techniques. online threats.

A historical breakdown of sports-related cybercrime

One of the first electronic attacks can be found back in 1980. Since then, the advancement of technology – and the threats that take advantage of these trends – have evolved, making online threats easier to be found by any user. To give you an idea, this is a summary of notable online scams connected to sporting events.

2008 Beijing Olympics – Hundreds of victims lost a lot of money on a fake Beijing Olympics website. The site posed as a ticket sales site, but was actually a phishing site that stole credit card information and other personal information.

FIFA World Cup 2010 – Spamming at sporting events is one of the most common techniques used by attackers. During the 2010 FIFA World Cup, an email referring to a fake “Final Draw” contest was circulated, along with a $550,000 prize. Victims were tricked into providing personal information in a funds transfer transaction. The scam is reminiscent of the Nigerian 419 scam which tricked users into sending money by promising a large sum of money in return for their cooperation.

London 2012 Olympic Games – Similar to the spam attacks used in the 2010 FIFA World Cup, a spam campaign tricked users into sending an email saying that they had won the “London 2012 Olympic Games Lottery”. However, before claiming their “prize”, recipients were asked to call a number, respond to the malicious email and provide their personal information. Another scam offered users tickets to the event, allowing cybercriminals to steal their online banking information.

United States 2014 World Cup – Using everything from adware and phishing attacks to banking trojans, cybercriminals wasted no time capitalizing on the highly anticipated soccer championship, the 2014 World Cup in United States. Fans, including regular users, have been tricked into disclosing sensitive details like personal and financial information on phishing websites, search engines, spam emails and even fake apps.

Highly publicized international events will continue to be used by cybercriminals as bait to lure users into their online traps. Attackers know that users tend to take security measures for granted, especially when it comes to rushing to attend major sporting events. That's why it's important to understand the various types of web attacks they use to stay vigilant and protect your online behavior. These are some tips on how to win the game in your next encounter with a scammer.

• Set the Tone of the Game – Stick to the official websites when purchasing event-themed merchandise. Bookmark official licensed retail sites to avoid typing in the wrong address. This also goes for when booking your tickets or engaging in other related promotional activities.
• DEFENSE! don't believe too good deals because they are more likely worse gifts waiting to steal your personal and financial information. Remember, when something sounds too good to be true, it's a warning sign. Also, always check that they are legitimate, regardless of whether they came via email, websites, links, and especially posts found on social media. If you fall for a scam, your followers and friends can fall too.
• Dodge the bullet – rely on a comprehensive security solution that can defend against web attacks. Don't forget to protect your mobile devices too! The convenience of using mobile devices can provide the same level of ease for cybercriminals to get to you if you are not protected.

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