FBI warns of fake FIFA websites and ticket scams ahead of 2026 World Cup

World Cup fans warned as scammers launch hundreds of fake tournament websites

FBI Warns That Fake FIFA Website Being Used to Steal Personal Information Authored by Jack Phillips via The Epoch Times, The FBI on June 16 advised people to be wary of fraudulent websites that try to mimic World Cup or FIFA sites, as the agency warned that such websites have been used to steal personal information and sell counterfeit tickets. In a public service announcement, the FBI stated that scammers and fraudsters have launched spoofing attempts designed to mimic FIFA’s official website as the World Cup games hosted in North America continue. “Threat actors often create spoofed websites by slightly altering characteristics of legitimate website domains, with the purpose of gathering personally identifiable information entered by a user into the site, including name, home address, phone number, email address, and banking information,” the FBI statement reads. The individuals behind such websites may be attempting to trick people into entering sensitive information that could be used to “create new accounts in a victim’s name and ultimately defraud the victim,” the FBI stated. The federal law enforcement bureau noted that it has identified individuals who had attempted to collect personal information, sell counterfeit World Cup tickets or “hospitality products,” or engaged in other forms of malicious activity in connection with the scams. The fraudulent website domains could include alternate spellings of words or use a different top-level domain, or TLD, referring to the final segment of the web address, such as .com, .gov, .org, and more, according to the notice. Scammers may also create a deceptive version of a legitimate website, such as fifa.com, that tricks people into thinking they are going to the official website, it stated. Some include website domains that use alternate domain extensions such as “.blue,” “.beer,” “.city,” and more. Dozens of fraudulent domains were identified by the FBI that have been linked to the scheme, including fake domains related to FIFA jobs, merchandise, or tickets. FBI officials advised people to first verify website URLs before they enter potentially sensitive or personally identifying information and to go to FIFA’s official website by typing the URL into their browser rather than relying on results produced by search engines, while also verifying that it reads fifa.com. An Epoch Times review found that many of the websites listed by the FBI in the alert appeared to be down. However, the FBI stated that the “public should be aware that new websites will continue to appear.” “Exercise caution when clicking on advertisements. Before clicking on an advertisement, check the URL to make sure the site is authentic,” the notice reads. “Malicious advertisements may redirect users to a different website than indicated.” The June 16 public service announcement did not say whether anyone was victimized by a FIFA website-related scam. But victims who believe that they were targeted in a scam should file a complaint with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov, it states Aside from combating fake websites, the FBI has also acted to keep drones away from World Cup games. Earlier this week, an illegal immigrant with a prior criminal history, including a cocaine-trafficking conviction, was arrested for flying a drone near a World Cup event in Atlanta, the FBI announced. The World Cup lasts from June 11 until July 19, with matches being played across the United States, Mexico, and Canada. Tyler Durden Sat, 06/20/2026 - 09:20

The FBI is warning soccer fans to watch out for fraudulent websites impersonating FIFA amid the World Cup this summer, as the agency says cybercriminals are using fake domains to sell counterfeit tickets and steal personal information. In a public service announcement issued Tuesday, the FBI said cyber threat actors have launched spoofing attacks designed...

FIFA Scams Fake tickets fraud sites and investment traps target fans

Desperate to get hold of tickets for the football World Cup, many fans face being scammed by sites set up to sell fake tickets. Here's how to make sure you don't fall into the trap.

New Delhi: At least 40 fake FIFA World Cup 2026 ticketing websites linked to a fraud network involving 15 active cybercriminal operators have been identified, according to a report released on Friday. The report by cybersecurity firm CloudSEK said the operation goes beyond traditional phishing scams and uses cloned FIFA ticketing platforms, real-time card skimming and potential OTP interception capabilities to steal payment information from unsuspecting users.The fraudulent websites closely mimic legitimate FIFA ticketing portals, featuring official-looking branding, match schedules, stadium information, shopping carts, payment gateways and secure checkout messages designed to gain users' trust, it said.The campaign functions as a real-time man-in-the-middle phishing framework capable of tracking a victim's checkout process, capturing card details including card numbers, expiry dates and CVV information, and potentially relaying one-time passwords (OTPs) to bypass SMS-based authentication.Palestinian Football Association Chief Stuck In Visa Limbo As FIFA Struggles To Resolve US World Cup Entry Issues In addition, the investigation identified a broader fraud ecosystem that includes a rogue payment processing network and a multi-tenant infrastructure supporting multiple operators.The backend infrastructure is hosted through a Chinese-language administrative panel and supports at least 15 separate operator instances, suggesting a scalable cybercrime operation rather than isolated phishing websites.“This campaign shows how major global events are being weaponised by organised cybercriminal groups. The threat is no longer limited to fake ticket listings or basic phishing pages. We are now seeing full checkout impersonation, live victim tracking, card skimming and OTP interception capabilities being combined into one operational platform,” said Gagan Aggarwal, Threat Intelligence Researcher at CloudSEK TRIAD.FIFA World Cup 2026: Brazil Take On African Champions Morocco In Group C Opener Moreover, the report identified several indicators pointing to Chinese-origin threat actors, including a backend interface rendered in Simplified Chinese, repeated administrative access from China-based IP addresses and internal platform naming conventions.CloudSEK further noted that social media platforms are playing a significant role in driving traffic to the scam websites, with Facebook accounting for around 60-65 per cent of observed user sessions and Instagram contributing approximately 15 per cent.The victim footprint spans multiple countries, with primary targeting observed in the United States and additional activity detected across Italy, Romania, Australia, Canada, Germany, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and several other markets.(Except for the headline, this article has not been edited by FPJ's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)