SEATTLE — Scammers are exploiting the excitement surrounding the World Cup to launch significant fraud threats, targeting consumers and major industries, including transportation and hospitality.
In some cases, artificial intelligence is making it easier for scammers to trick victims.
Cyber firm Check Point has identified a wide array of scams and fraud cases across nearly all aspects of World Cup activity, ranging from Ponzi-style cryptocurrency schemes, fake ticket scams, fake travel sites and email phishing scams.
According to the firm’s 73-page report, more than one-third of official FIFA World Cup 2026 partners lack sufficiently strong security to “prevent domain spoofing of their procurement and sponsorship chains.”
“You might receive emails that appear to be verified and trusted or coming from an official partner of FIFA,” said Aaron Rose with Check Point Software Technologies. “However, they were not.”
The firm also identified an increase in threats against the transportation and hospitality sectors. The report says these industries are vulnerable to attacks because they have operational pressure and a near-zero tolerance for downtime.
The firm says criminals began building the infrastructure for these scams months before the event, and it’s not just the World Cup that bad actors have targeted.
“These incidents demonstrate how threat actors deliberately exploit event-specific conditions such as heightened scrutiny, operational pressure, and public trust to maximize impact,” the report says.
Another kind of fraud gaining ground during the World Cup: scammers registering troves of fake accounts on sports betting sites and prediction markets, according to digital identity verification company Socure.
These scammers often target promotional scams, such as when a company offers a financial bonus to an account after placing its first bet.
“When they’re opening up new accounts, they’re using real consumers’ names,” said Mike Cook, Socure’s head of fraud insights. “So there’s gonna be real victims.”
Cook says accounts opened in your name could show up on your credit report, in consumer monitoring or in a collections report. If the fake user makes a bet that makes significant money, the winnings could be reported to the IRS.
Regardless of the scam’s style, both Cook and Rose agree that artificial intelligence is changing the threat landscape.
“They don’t have those telltale signs like they used to,” Rose said. “There [aren’t] grammatical errors and such. They have very professional, realistic-looking sites that are set up in just a matter of minutes.”
To avoid falling into a trap, look for a sense of urgency, which is often a telltale sign of a scam.
Fraudsters may pressure victims to act quickly on things like “unconfirmed bookings” or “unpaid tickets.”
Check Point has released dozens of tips to keep consumers safe.
When dealing with money, tickets and crypto, Check Point urges you to remember that FIFA has not launched any official cryptocurrency.
“Treat any “FIFA token” or “$WORLDCUP coin” as opportunistic at best, and likely fraudulent,” the report says.
The report also says that emails claiming you have won World Cup tickets are “nearly always phishing.” In fact, the firm urges you to verify the sender domain on any email claiming to be from FIFA or a tournament partner.
Check Point urges you to avoid booking accommodations through unfamiliar aggregator sites, and avoid posting photos of boarding passes, tickets or QR codes on social media (where they can be cloned).
- Download betting apps from official app stores and use strong passwords on sports betting platforms.
- Update your phone and key apps before traveling, the report says, since most attacks rely on unpatched software.
- Be aware of social media fundraisers that appear to be raising money to support teams.
- Use credit cards when you can, which often have the best chargeback protections.
- If you’re not sure if something is legitimate or a scam, slow down and attempt to verify the source.
“Urgency is the trap here,” Rose said.
When it comes to scams, everyone is vulnerable. According to a report from Pew Research, 73% of U.S. adults have experienced an online scam or attack.
Cook said that while bad actors have typically targeted banks, card-issuing companies and industries, he believes the consumer is now a prime target.
“The consumer is the soft underbelly of the U.S. financial ecosystem,” he said. “What consumers need to educate themselves on is not click on something unless you’ve received it from somebody, and even then be suspicious.”
©2026 Cox Media Group
