Hype around 2026 FIFA World Cup triggers fraud, fake apps and ransomware targeting fans and businesses

Fraudsters preposition FIFA World Cup infrastructure
Fraud affects the financial, travel and gaming sectors
Businesses are encouraged to prepare before the start of the tournament

Scams surrounding the 2026 FIFA World Cup will peak, predictably, right before and during the World Cup. However, to maximize the effectiveness of these scams, fraudsters need much more time.

That’s according to cybersecurity researcher Check Point Research, who in a new blog post said scammers have been positioning themselves for months now, focusing on three key pillars: finance, travel and hospitality, and gambling. Now, with the World Cup about to begin, the infrastructure for scams is “already built” and most of the fraudulent sites are already up and running.

“The financial ecosystem around any mega-event is exactly the type of environment that threat actors prefer,” CPR explains. “Increased transaction volumes, unknown merchants, compressed purchase windows and international flows all reduce the oversight that normally slows fraud.”

Lack of DMARC enforcement complicates matters

Tickets for matches may be rare, but there will be plenty of scams. Shady cryptocurrency tokens, with no affiliation with FIFA, with a completely anonymous team, and without a use case, are already circulating.

Fake hotels, ticketing sites and even merchandise sellers are everywhere. Worse still, legitimate business partners don’t help either: a third of them are insufficiently compliant with DMARC, meaning they can easily be impersonated by cybercriminals.

For the CPR, this means one thing: to protect their reputations as well as the well-being of their customers, businesses must do the same thing as criminals: prepare well in advance.

“Malicious actors are already prepositioning infrastructure, testing entry points, and activating campaigns at times of peak visibility and operational pressure. By the time the tournament is live, the preparation window will be largely closed,” they said. “For organizations, this means that preparation must take place before the tournament begins. »

The key question now is: is your business ready for the next 30 days?