Beware of Olympic Cyber Scams

As the 2016 Summer Olympic Games quickly approach, athletes across the globe are preparing to compete and hopefully bring a medal back to their home country.

However, athletes aren’t the only ones gearing up for the Olympics – cybercriminals are busy looking to exploit excitement around the Olympics to take advantage of unsuspecting consumers and steal their money and personal information.

These ‘cyber pickpockets’ will use a variety of tactics to try and trick people into handing their money over online, making it critical to stay extremely vigilant. Hackers and identity thieves have been known to exploit high profile events like the Olympics through use of phishing emails and websites to target people looking to purchase tickets, merchandise, or stream video online. The Better Business Bureau found that during the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, a search on eBay for “Sochi 2014” found 5,693 results, some of which were fraudulent even including a fake “Olympic Torch Sochi 2014” for $7,000.

The Stop.Think.Connect.™ Campaign encourages you to be on the lookout for the following common scams during the Olympics season and throughout the year:

Phishing Emails

Scammers use emails to collect personal and financial information or infect your machine with malware and viruses. Cybercriminals use legitimate-looking emails that encourage people to click on a link or open an attachment. The email they send can look like it is from an authentic, Olympics-related organization or legitimate retailer.

How to protect yourself: When in doubt, throw it out. Links in email and online posts are often the way cybercriminals compromise your computer. If it looks suspicious – even if you know the source – it’s best to delete or, if appropriate, mark it as “junk email.” Contact the company directly (via phone) to check the email’s legitimacy.

Counterfeit Merchandise

Regardless of if you are physically at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro or not, scammers will try to take advantage and sell you fake merchandise and tickets online.

How to protect yourself: Shop only at reputable online retailers, ideally only the official Olympics website. Look for the padlock symbol or for URLs that start with “https” or “shttp.” For auction websites, be sure to check the sellers’ reviews. Also, be sure to always pay for online purchases with a credit card, which offers greater protection than a debit card.

“You’ve Won” Scams

If you unexpectedly receive an email telling you that you have won a prize, lottery, or sweepstakes (for example, free tickets to the Olympics games), it may be an online scam. Though the person seems excited for you to collect your winnings, if they then tell you there is a fee or tax to claim the prize and request your credit card or bank account information, it’s likely a trick.

How to protect yourself: Think before you act. Be wary of communications that implore you to act immediately, offer something that sounds too good to be true, or ask for personal information.

To report suspected phishing attempts, consumers have three resources to use. Consumers can visit the Anti-Phishing Working Group (APWG) at www.apwg.org. In addition, the United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT) also collects phishing email messages and website locations to help people avoid becoming victims of phishing scams. To report suspected phishing attempts to DHS, visit www.us-cert.gov/report-phishing. Finally, consumers can visit the National Cyber Security Alliance’s Spam and Phishing page for more information on how to protect yourself against these attacks.

For more information and tips for staying safe year-round, please visit DHS.gov/StopThinkConnect.