On May 31, PC Mag issued a warning, citing an interview with Shahak Shalev, Malwarebytes’ Global Fraud and AI Research Lead, confirming that scammers have deployed plans in advance targeting the 2026 World Cup. Tactics include fake cryptocurrency tokens, unverified gambling apps, fake jerseys and tickets, as well as a fake World Cup website and fake streaming media sites.
Four Main World Cup Scam Tactics Confirmed by Malwarebytes
Malwarebytes’ research team confirmed finding the following four categories of scam tactics targeting World Cup fans:
Cryptocurrency scams: Ads appear promoting “World Cup universal coins” or cryptocurrencies bearing FIFA branding; Shalev confirmed: “Scammers like cryptocurrency—it helps them stay anonymous, and transactions are almost impossible to reverse. If it involves cryptocurrency, stop right away.”
Fake gambling apps and websites: In the months before major events, scammers create new sites whose logos or branding are exactly the same as legitimate platforms. Shalev confirmed that the domain creation date can be checked via an ICANN lookup tool as a preliminary identification method.
Fake jerseys and fake tickets: Malwarebytes researchers confirmed that in Facebook groups where sellers request to buy tickets for matches between teams that did not participate in the World Cup, sellers still agree to the deal. Shalev confirmed: “If the offer is too good to be true, it’s fake.”
Fake streaming media websites: Some sites provide AI-generated videos or recordings of football matches after charging a fee, while others are packed with malicious software ads.
Confirmed Prevention Methods: ICANN Domain Lookups and Scam Detection Tools
Shalev confirmed that the way to identify suspicious websites is to verify the domain creation date using an ICANN lookup tool: “If it’s an official site, it usually has been around for years. If it only has a few months of history, that’s an immediate red flag.” A PC Mag author confirmed that personally using Google Gemini takes just a few minutes to create a fake claims website, showing that AI tools have significantly lowered the bar for scammers to produce convincing fake sites.
Shalev recommends using scam detection tools; optional tools confirmed by PC Mag include Malwarebytes Scam Guard, Bitdefender Scamio, Norton Scam Protection, and McAfee Scam Detector.
FAQs
Why did Malwarebytes specifically label World Cup scams related to cryptocurrency as the most dangerous?
Based on Shalev’s confirmation, cryptocurrency “helps scammers stay anonymous,” and cryptocurrency transactions are “almost impossible to reverse,” making it difficult for victims to recover funds even after realizing they were scammed. Shalev confirmed that any World Cup-related offers involving cryptocurrency should be stopped immediately.
How can you quickly tell whether a World Cup-related website or ticket-selling platform is a scam?
Based on Shalev’s confirmation, you can verify the website’s creation time via an ICANN lookup tool; sites with only a few months of history need immediate heightened vigilance. Shalev confirmed that if a seller can provide tickets that cannot exist (such as tickets for a match between two teams that did not participate), that is a confirmation signal of a scam, and you should stop trading immediately.
How are AI tools used in World Cup scams?
PC Mag’s author confirmed that using Google Gemini takes only a few minutes to create a fake claims website. Shalev confirmed that AI tools have helped scammers “improve the techniques for making offers more persuasive,” and the difficulty of creating fake apps, fake websites, and fake marketing materials has been significantly reduced.
