World Cup Warning Issued Over Ticket Price Scams

The 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off in June — and HuffPost will be live-blogging every twist, turn and controversy from the buildup through the final of what’s widely shaping up to be the most political soccer tournament of all time.From the action on the pitch to the potential chaos off it, the storylines are already piling up: Iran’s possible non-participation amid Donald Trump’s war, the president’s close relationship with FIFA’s Peace Prize-awarding President Gianni Infantino, and simmering tensions between the U.S. and fellow host nations Mexico and Canada fueled by Trump’s tariffs and divisive rhetoric.Trump’s travel bans could keep some fans out, there’s been fury over soaring ticket prices, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents could be present at games as the Trump administration continues its anti-immigration crackdown.Not to mention extreme heat concerns that scorched all those involved the last time the U.S. hosted the tournament some 32 years ago, in 1994.And that’s all before a ball has been kicked.U.S. President Donald Trump received the FIFA Peace Prize from FIFA President Gianni Infantino in December.Andrew Harnik via Getty ImagesOn the field, the men’s national teams from 48 countries will compete in a record 104 matches across the three host nations in what will be the biggest World Cup in history.Mexico will take on South Africa at the iconic Mexico City Stadium in the opening game on June 11. The U.S. will play Paraguay in Los Angeles on June 12, Australia in Seattle on June 19 and Turkey back in Los Angeles on June 25, in the group games, before potentially competing in the later knockout rounds.The final will be held on July 19 at MetLife Stadium, which is being temporarily rebranded as the New York/New Jersey Stadium for the competition.Current European champions Spain are favorites to lift the trophy. Defending champions Argentina, of Inter Miami’s Lionel Messi fame, along with France, England and Brazil, are also expected to be in the mix.Check out the full games schedule on the FIFA website.Follow along with our coverage below:World Cup Warning Issued Over Ticket Price ScamsSoaring ticket prices and transport costs at this year's World Cup will expose fans to cyber fraud and scams as supporters are attracted by fakes in the mistaken belief they have bagged a bargain, an industry expert has warned.Scam artists are active around every major global sporting event but there is an increased danger with World Cup tickets more expensive than at any previous edition, Nuno Sebastiao, the CEO and co-founder of Feedzai, told Reuters."Large gatherings like a World Cup are a scammer's dream," said Sebastiao, whose company works with banks around the world to detect and prevent fraud and other financial crime."The cost of these events, it's fairly high. And people are always trying to get a good deal somehow. And that's what these criminals prey on."A football fan is not a high-income person like you'd see in other sports. So there's more propensity to be the victim of a scam because you really want to go, you really want to see the game, but you just don't have the money."FIFA did not immediately respond when asked for comment about what advice it would give fans attending the tournament, and if any special measures had been put in place.A report released earlier this month by The Knoble, a nonprofit network focused on tackling financial crime, forecast that the World Cup would fuel more than 28,500 suspicious financial transactions globally.The main areas of fraud are expected to be around ticketing, travel and online scams, and Sebastiao warned much of it is run by large criminal networks and is sometimes state-sponsored. "We're talking about global network sponsored by ... Iran, North Korea, where our system of justice cannot reach," he said. "But we also see operations in Latin America, some African countries, some Eastern European countries that have familiarity with some of the languages spoken at these events."Cyber fraud and scams around major sporting events also fuel human rights abuses, Sebastiao said."There's slave labour involved in these gigantic call centres," he added. "They take their passports and force them to work slave hours to commit phishing and scamming attacks."Such exploitation by criminal networks is also seen on the ground around venues, including in the sex trade. "When we see people being arrested some of them are themselves victims," Sebastiao added. "They're victims of human trafficking. They're forced to do that because they're illegal immigrants. Whenever there's these large gatherings there are people that are trafficked for the purpose of sexual exploitation."Santa Clara County's Human Trafficking Task Force reported that when the Super Bowl was held in northern California earlier this year, 29 traffickers were arrested and 73 sex trafficking victims were recovered, including 10 minors.A similar operation will be put in place when the same San Francisco Bay Area Stadium hosts six games at this year's World Cup in June and July.See All UpdatesClose

Raccontata dahuffpost.comlemonde.fr