Cybersecurity Experts Alert Fans to Ticket Scams Amid Major Sports Events

As the excitement builds for significant sporting events such as the Stanley Cup Final, NBA Finals, and the upcoming World Cup, cybersecurity specialists are raising alarms about the rise of ticket scams targeting eager fans. “They know what they’re doing,” stated Assaf Morag, a security researcher at the cybersecurity firm Flare. “And they will sell you everything.”

Morag emphasizes that these major events provide fertile ground for online scammers, particularly on platforms like social media. To illustrate the extent of the issue, he engaged with numerous Facebook accounts purporting to offer World Cup tickets. “This is where you need to be careful,” he cautioned.

In a revealing experiment, Morag requested tickets for a non-existent match between Italy and Russia, despite the fact that Italy failed to qualify for the 2026 World Cup and Russia is currently suspended. Surprisingly, scammers still attempted to sell him those tickets. He even concocted a fictional nation, “Velmoraon,” and was informed that tickets were available for purchase. “I even invented the country in Southeast Europe,” Morag noted. “And they said, okay, yeah, we have the tickets.”

While there are trustworthy secondary markets and individual sellers online, Morag warns that buying tickets via social media carries inherent risks. “You cannot be sure until the last minute that you bought something which is legit,” he advised. Experts recommend that fans conduct thorough online reviews of any third-party ticket platforms and steer clear of payment options like debit cards, Venmo, or money-transfer services. Instead, using credit cards is suggested for enhanced protection in case of disputes over fraudulent transactions.