World Cup 2022 - warning over football lottery scams

Football fans around the world are being warned to be cautious about scams related to the World Cup. Fraudsters may try to exploit the enthusiasm of football fans and lure them into investing in fake lottery schemes.

Lottery scams related to the World Cup are becoming more and more common. These types of scams involve individuals who claim to be connected with FIFA or some other sports organization, offering opportunities for people to win large sums of money from lotteries that are supposedly associated with the World Cup. In reality, these scammers often don't have any ties to any legitimate organizations and are simply trying to take advantage of unsuspecting victims.

How football lottery scams fraudsters operate?

Typically, a scammer will send their target an email, message or scam lottery letters claiming they have been randomly selected as the recipient of a lottery prize that is tied to the World Cup. They then ask for personal information such as bank account numbers or credit card details in order to process the winnings, but instead of delivering the prize, they simply take the money and disappear.

You may also find a name of a contact person who will allegedly help you claim your prize. Eventually, the agent will tell you that before you can collect your winnings, there's some sort of tax or fee to be paid. Once the payment is made, the scammers will steal your money and personal information for follow-on fraud or to sell it to other criminals.

In addition to these emails and messages, scammers may also set up fake websites that look like they are associated with the World Cup or other sports organizations. However, these sites will contain malicious code designed to steal personal information and access bank accounts, so it is important to be wary of any websites that appear to be related to the World Cup.

Victims of these scams may be asked to pay upfront fees or share personal information such as bank account details without proper verification. It is important for consumers to remember that if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

The majority of these fraudulent emails come from IP addresses in the United States. The most common target recipients are located in the UK, Ireland, South Africa, Romania, Sweden and Denmark.

With one variation of this scam, recipients receive an email informing them that they have won for example $1.5 million dollars.

You may be wondering how you were selected as a winner: apparently through the “QATAR FIFA WORLD CUP 2022 GAME PROMOTION Draw held in Istanbul Turkey. There are many different examples of such letters and emails circulating on the web. They may differ in sum or location of the draw, but each cites the Qatar FIFA World Cup.

Other World Cup scams

- Ticket sales - you may be contacted by various people on social media offering to sell you cheaper match tickets. If you haven't bought tickets yet to watch any of the games, be cautious of scammers. You should know that Qatar 2022 only has digital tickets; the two exceptions being last-minute purchases done in person at either one of two possible offices in Doha, Qatar. Also, reselling unauthorized tickets is not allowed in Qatar and can result in harsh penalties. The only way to resell or purchase tickets is through FIFA's official ticket resale platform.

- Crypto tokens - recently launched a cryptocurrency token called FIFA Inu, which began to receive accusations of being a cryptocurrency scam due to the sudden drop it experienced after a sustained rise. The founders have vehemently denied it. For the moment, it is not possible to say unequivocally that this is a scam, but if you are going to invest more cash in it check it carefully.

What can you do to avoid being scammed?

Above all, you need to be aware and careful. If you haven't participated in any lottery draw, if you haven't knowingly entered yourself, there's no way you'll be the lucky winner whether it's huge amount of money, free tickets or flights to a tournament. In any such case, a red light should go on for you.

The best way for people to protect themselves is to be aware of the warning signs and never share personal information with any unknown source. If anyone is contacted by an organisation claiming to offer a football lottery, they should check that the company is registered with the relevant authorities in their country before engaging in any kind of transaction.

Financial regulators around the world are reminding people to remain vigilant when faced with such offers and report any suspicious activities or websites to their local police force. The authorities will be able to investigate and take necessary actions against such scams.

How to spot a scam?

The scammers know exactly what they are doing and take care of every detail. If you get a letter or e-mail pay attention to:

- The signatures on the documents appear to come from officials who hold senior-level positions and have identification numbers;

- Terms like "guaranteed" or "100% genuine" are used, and specific dollar amounts are detailed;

- They outline a sense of urgency, such as "reply within 5 days" or "before the deadline";

- If the e-mail contains a link - do not click on it;

- You cannot win the lottery unless you purchase a ticket. If somebody tells you that you can without buying one, they are attempting to scam you. Do not give anybody money in hopes of receiving a prize-it is simply a way for them to steal from you.

During the buzz of the World Cup, investment scams and other postal scams have been on the rise. These types of frauds often involve someone promising you a large financial return if you invest in a football lottery or other type of investment scheme related to the World Cup. However, these schemes are not what they seem and could lead to significant losses.

Fraudsters use financial institutions to trick unsuspecting victims into giving away personal financial information, or paying a fee for fake bogus health cures. To protect yourself from becoming a victim, it's important to be aware of some common red flags associated with these types of crime.

By taking all necessary precautions, football fans can stay safe from these fraudulent schemes and enjoy watching their favourite teams compete in the World Cup without having to worry about being scammed.