As the world’s most elite athletes gather for this summer’s competitions, cybercriminals are seizing the opportunity to exploit the elevated attention. These events showcase athletic excellence, attracting fans worldwide, but on the downside – they also attract malicious actors.

Alongside some of the fastest and strongest humans on Earth, cybercriminals have set their own new records. 

With Summer 2024 ripe for global sporting events, cybercriminals took advantage of the topic. In the first half of the year alone, Gen saw an increase of 942% in sport-related scams compared to the same period in 2023. In past sporting events, scam and phishing attacks increased by 280% during the previous Summer Games and by 238% during the last Winter Games. 

This year, we have already witnessed a surge in scams related to France. In the first six months of 2024, scams tied to the events surged by 942% compared to the same timeframe in 2023. 

Here’s a look at fraud related to past games. 

Emerging Threat Landscape

As competitions continue in France, organizations and individuals should be vigilant of these five threats:

1. Scam and Phishing Attacks
Cybercriminals exploit the popularity of these events by disseminating fake emails and messages that impersonate official sources. These communications often offer counterfeit tickets, merchandise, or urgent updates, aiming to deceive recipients into divulging personal information or clicking on malicious links.

2. Fake Ticket and Resale Scams
High demand for tickets creates a lucrative environment for criminals to sell counterfeit tickets through fraudulent websites or third-party resellers, leading to financial losses and identity theft. SEVERAL WEBSITES TO AVOID: paris24tickets[.]com, paris24tickets[.]net, liveticketfinder[.]com, tickets-paris24[.]com