Football Fan Scams Surge Ahead of World Cup 2026

The report describes a widespread, active malvertising and phishing campaign targeting football fans ahead of FIFA World Cup 2026: over 55 football-related malvertising campaigns push fake merchandise, counterfeit collectibles, lottery/email giveaway scams, illegal streaming services, and fraudulent mobile apps across social platforms and email, with researchers linking the operations to organized overseas groups via tracking parameters and multi-site storefronts; impacts include financial fraud and identity theft, and recommended mitigations are verifying domains and using reputable security software.