Numerous fake websites selling tickets for the 2026 FIFA World Cup tournament

Foreign media reports that fraudsters are operating large-scale online money scams targeting the 2026 FIFA World Cup tournament. These groups are creating fake websites designed to resemble the official FIFA website to deceive fans, steal their personal data, and sell fake tickets.

Security agencies point out that for this tournament, scheduled to begin on June 11th and centered in the United States, Mexico, and Canada, fans often tend to turn to risky online sites due to the high price of tickets and the increased demand for them. According to a warning issued by the FBI, these scams are carried out using domain names such as "fifa-ticket.live" and "fifaworldcup26.sale".

Group-IB, a Singapore-based cybersecurity company, has identified over 4,300 fake websites operating under the guise of being associated with FIFA since last August alone. It has also been revealed that more than 300 of these sites are controlled by a Chinese-speaking individual. Researchers say that although some websites are currently inactive, there is a risk of them becoming active closer to the start of the tournament.

Many of these fraudulent sites are meticulously designed to resemble the official FIFA website, using official trademarks and logos of payment partners like Visa. This is done to provide users with the experience of a real website and obtain their banking information. Additionally, attempts to direct people to these fake sites by advertising on social media platforms like Facebook can also be observed.

In addition to fake tickets, these fraudulent websites also appear to be used for selling fake collectibles and sports merchandise. Furthermore, there have been reports of scams targeting job seekers, where fraudsters impersonate World Cup tournament employees using photos and names found on networks like LinkedIn. Meta, being aware of this, has taken steps to remove links leading to fake websites and to inform users about relevant advertisements.