2024 Paris Olympics: top scams you need to look out for

Fake tickets to the 2024 Paris Olympic games, fake merchandise, dangerous streaming sites, and giveaways that phish personal information. These are the top scams users face during the Olympic Games.

 

 

The 2024 Paris Olympic Games are in full swing at the moment, and this is the perfect time to remind users that during this important event, malicious actors are more active than ever. Cybercriminals have already seized the opportunity presented by such a prominent event. They have been selling fake tickets and merchandise for months leading up to the Olympics. Countless users have also been tricked by fake giveaways. And now that the games have begun, many users are deceived by fake streaming websites. In addition, those in France are endangering their personal data by using public WiFi.

Here is what you should look out for during the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, whether you plan on watching in person or online.

Common scams to look out for during the 2024 Olympics

Ticket scams

Ticket scams are always a major problem during such large-scale events. Malicious actors and scammers create fake websites and marketplaces to sell fake tickets to Olympic Games events. While some will be easily identifiable as fake, sophisticated ones can be difficult to recognize. The fake sites may look professionally done, contain all the necessary information, and even appear as sponsored ads on searches with Google and other search engines.

Users need to be very cautious when purchasing tickets to see the Olympics in person. Only official sources like the official Olympic Games website and authorized resellers can be trusted to sell legitimate tickets. Before purchasing tickets, users should always double-check that they are using an official and authorized website.

Fake giveaways

Whenever a significantly important event is about to take place, social media becomes riddled with posts about supposed ticket giveaways. The 2024 Olympic Games are no exception. These fake giveaways invite users to perform simple tasks to supposedly win tickets. Malicious actors operating these fake giveaways intend to phish users’ personal information. Users may not even realize it because a giveaway requesting personal information from winners is nothing out of the ordinary.

Personal information like full names, phone numbers, home addresses, etc., is highly valuable to cybercriminals. It can be used to perform highly sophisticated scams that have a much higher chance of success because malicious actors have the target’s personal information.

Users should be very cautious of 2024 Olympic Games giveaways. Only legitimate and authorized sources can be trusted. If no information from a trusted source can be found, the giveaway is fake.

Fake streaming sites

This is a particularly big issue during large televised events like the Olympics. Countless fake streaming sites are created and promoted on various platforms like social media. Links to the sites could also appear in Google results for users looking to watch the Olympics for free online. Some sites may also be created to appear like official pages for legally streaming Olympic games. For example, sites with domains like watcholympics2024.com are currently common. These sites may ask that users first sign up by providing their personal information. What’s more, these sites may also ask for credit/payment card details. These phishing sites steal users’ personal information, which is immediately transferred to the malicious actors operating them.

Fake streaming sites can also be dangerous for a different reason. They bombard users with advertisement pop-ups and trigger redirects to all kinds of questionable websites. If users don’t have an adblocker program installed, there could be tens of ads popping up at the same time. These sites may also ask users to download extensions or supposed updates, which would turn out to be disguised malware.

To avoid potentially dangerous websites, it’s strongly recommended to stick to legitimate channels to watch the 2024 Olympics. Most countries’ TV channels have licensed streaming so there are many ways to watch it.

Fake merchandise sites

During events like the Olympic Games, many people like to purchase various merchandise to keep as memorabilia. Of course, malicious actors know this. So it’s not only fake ticket sales that users need to be wary of but also fake merchandise online. Hundreds of fake merchandise shops have been created over the last couple of months, and links to them are promoted on various social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and X (previously known as Twitter). What’s worth noting is that these fake merchandise shops look very professional, which makes it difficult to distinguish them from legitimate shops. These fake shops may also try to attract users with large discounts and smaller prices than what official shops offer.

Fake merchandise shops try to steal users’ money, payment card information, as well as personal information. Users should only use authorized and official online stores to purchase 2024 Olympics merchandise.

Public WiFI

Large groups of tourists visiting a specific place for an event is a great opportunity for cybercriminals to steal highly sensitive data. The Olympic Games attracts people from all over the world, and those visiting France this year may not necessarily have great mobile data plans. This forces them to use public WiFi, and that poses a significant risk to users. Anyone can connect to an unsecured public WiFi network. Even if public WiFi is password protected, the password can usually be easily accessed. Malicious actors with the right skills and equipment can intercept users’ traffic when connected to the same network. This means they can steal highly sensitive information.

The rule of thumb when it comes to free WiFi is it should not be used to access any important accounts because users do not know who is lurking on the same network. If users are planning on using public WiFi, having a Virtual Private Network (VPN) is essential. VPNs encrypt traffic, making it unreadable to all parties who otherwise have access to it. Here’s a quick guide to the best VPN services in France.

What you can do to protect yourself during the 2024 Olympics

• Purchase tickets only from official vendors and resellers.

Do not trust websites or parties that cannot be verified. Not only would you lose your money but you would also give away your personal and payment information to malicious actors.

• Do not trust unauthorized giveaways that claim you have won tickets to the Olympic Games events.

Only giveaways hosted by legitimate ticket sellers and organizers are real.

• Use legitimate platforms to watch the 2024 Olympics.

Fake streaming sites will either try to scam you or install malware on your device.

• Only buy merchandise from trusted sources and official websites.

If you purchase from unauthorized sellers, you’re risking losing your money or getting fake merchandise.

• Use a VPN when connected to public WiFi.

If you do not have a good data plan when visiting France, make sure you use a VPN when connected to public WiFi to protect your data.