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The Paris Olympics (Olympic Games) were the perfect bait for cybercriminals, who used the interest generated by the event to launch simple yet convincing malicious campaigns that left a large number of victims for fraudulent attacks.
These malicious activities include countless scams and forms, from the classic sale of fake tickets to so-called gifts offered by mobile operators to tourists and visitors to France, where the cost of travel can be very expensive if they do not take the recommended safety measures.
This type of breach has been occurring for several months and not just during the event, which runs from Friday, July 26, to August 11 next year. In May of the same year, the event organizers also said on their website that a series of people and entities were impersonating them and handing out free tickets to the opening ceremony.
Specifically, the cybercriminals claimed to be working with the French National Olympic and Sports Committee to offer tickets in exchange for a small payment, which was, in theory, intended to cover the costs of sending the tickets to a physical address.
Therefore, cyber criminals launch different fraudulent campaigns to get the victim’s information and money as cyber criminals also take the opportunity to create fake websites pretending to be official ones.
The most common of these is entering a form where information such as name, phone number or email address is requested in order to send the tickets that are supposedly to be purchased. Once you enter a payment method (such as a credit card), the cybercriminals use it to access your account and take all the contents in it.
Beyond Fraudulent Websites
In the framework of this competition, different websites were also distributed, allegedly selling official “merchandise” such as T-shirts, uniforms, pins, hats and other accessories, all of which, at low prices, attracted users who were less aware of their safety.
In addition to not receiving their orders, users risk data privacy and risk losing their bank cards to cybercriminals.
It also doesn’t go unnoticed by cybercriminals that during the Olympic Games, Paris and other French cities hosting different sports competitions become gathering places for many tourists who want to attend the games.
Thus, as Kaspersky recalls in his blog, malicious campaigns were being carried out in which data packages and Internet connections were given away, which hopefully prevented these visitors from spending too much money on roaming.
The cybersecurity company said that in France, a standard phone plan with 40 GB of internet and unlimited calls costs about 11 euros. Providing these services for free would mean spending 168 million euros, which makes the offer of these cyber scammers incredible.
How to avoid these scams
Often times, the best advice is to use common sense and not trust every web page or offer that seems too good to be true. The Olympics is a global competition attended by only a few people and raises a lot of money, so it’s reasonable to know that anything Olympics-related is usually priced high.
Therefore, you should only trust the information provided by its official website and not buy tickets or souvenirs related to sports events from unofficial sources. In this case, it is best to use its official website only. It has an official resale platform, which should be the only way to buy or sell tickets for sports events.
Being wary of gifts from strangers is another basic tip to avoid falling victim to scams. If an operator offers to provide personal data in exchange for free gigabytes, it is best to refuse the offer.
It is also recommended to use a virtual card or “electronic cash” with a specific spending limit when buying Olympic tickets or “push money.” It is not a foolproof tool, but it can stop cybercriminals from emptying the victim’s bank account.
These cards can be topped up from other credit or debit cards or accounts. This way you can enter exactly the requested amount for a specific product. If the site you purchased from is fraudulent, the seller will only be able to take the money from that site and cannot increase the stolen amount with the amount deposited into that bank account.
Paris Olympic organizers are aware that the event is a target for many cybercriminals and have created a section on their official website dedicated to cybersecurity.
This shows you what steps to take if you forget the password to access your website accounts, or what to do if one of your accounts is hacked. It also explains how to act when faced with a scam, how to recognize a “phishing” attempt, or how to stop a scam attempt.
In any case, it is ideal to activate two-factor authentication (2FA), which helps to ensure the security of your account and funds, in addition to reducing the consequences of falling victim to “phishing”. This is because multiple factors are probably the most effective factor in counteracting the intentions of someone who impersonates someone else’s data in any action they wish to perform.
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