The shocking truth about fraud during the ongoing football tournament and how to guard your walletDon't let scammers ruin this football season for you (Image: Ridofranz/Getty Images)The world’s biggest football celebration should be pure joy with goals, late nights with mates, family watch‑parties, and a bit of magic on the pitch. But every tournament season, cybercrooks see an open goal. They ride the excitement with fake tickets, bogus 'urgent' bank alerts, untrustworthy streaming links, and too‑good‑to‑be‑true travel deals - designed to empty your account or hijack your identity. Whether you’re hunting for last‑minute seats or running a small business through a busy spell, the risks spike when big events like global football tournaments kick off. Tricks you need to be aware of Fake tickets and hospitality - Slick sites mimic official branding. You pay, nothing arrives, and the seller vanishes. Phishing messages - Fake 'updates', bank or delivery alerts push you to click a link. Clone pages steal logins or drop malware by leaning on urgency and trust. Account takeovers - One slip lets crooks drain funds, change passwords and lock you out, often only spotted by late‑night alerts or a declined card. Streaming and public Wi‑Fi traps - 'Free HD' links and rogue apps can plant trackers or malware, whilst tampered Wi‑Fi portals harvest logins and session cookies. Travel, merch and QR cons - Counterfeit shirts, bogus accommodation, and rigged parking/transport codes can take your cash and personal data. Crypto, betting and 'fan tokens' - Glossy apps promise quick profits, then vanish with deposits. Small business hits - Invoice redirection and Business Email Compromise use look‑alike domains to tweak bank details on real invoices. Web‑shop risks - Credential stuffing and checkout skimmers exploit reused passwords and lift card data, leading to chargebacks, lost trust, and long nights fixing the mess. Tips to keep yourself safe