The 2024 summer Olympics in Paris, France, is from Friday, July 26 to Sunday, August 11. While the event offers great excitement, scammers seek to take advantage of interest in this major international sporting event. Digital security expert Norton warns people to watch out for Olympic-related scams. They share some startling facts.
Rising Olympic-related scams
- Scam attacks increased by over 280% during the last summer games.
- Scam attacks increased by over 238% during the last winter games.
- The major source of scams come in the form of emails, media posts, and websites.
- Scammers pretend to offer tickets, merchandise, or other such Olympic memorabilia.
- Scammers may create fake look-alike Olympic websites.
There are ways in which people can protect themselves from becoming victims of Olympic scams.
Computer smarts
- To protect your computer, frequently update it, use antivirus software, and regularly back up your data.
- Use strong and unique passwords that you frequently change. Avoid using the same passwords for your accounts.
- Guard your passwords and do not share them with others.
- Be cautious and avoid clicking on links or downloading attachments – unless you know with certainty that they are safe.
- When making purchases, only use personal Wi-Fi and avoid making purchases using public Wi-Fi.
Important don’ts
- If a website looks suspicious or contains misspellings, it is likely a fake. Exit the site and don’t do business there.
- To minimize risk, don’t order Olympic merchandise through email or text solicitations from strangers.
- Don’t rely on trust. When making purchases, be selective. Stick to official websites to buy tickets and Olympic merchandise.
- Don’t be gullible. To verify Olympic partners, check the official Olympic website to see who is authorized to sell tickets and official merchandise.
- Don’t buy paper tickets. Note that all tickets for Olympic events are digital. Anyone offering tickets in paper form is a scammer.
- Scammers use contests to gain/steal your information. Don’t enter contests that are Olympic-related unless you are 100% certain it is safe to do so.
- Don’t use your debit card for online purchases. Rather use a credit card not attached to your checking or savings account.
- Alternatively, when possible, use a virtual (temporary) credit card for online purchases. You may request one through your online account with your bank.
Important dos
- When searching on the internet, do type carefully to avoid being redirected to fake look-alike websites.
- Do order merchandise from established companies you know through their official websites that you looked up yourself.
- If you are unsure of a company’s authenticity, you may separately do your homework by researching the company. Check to see if they are Better Business Bureau accredited, visit the review platform Reddit Trustpilot, search the company name and the word scam, and check the company’s social media page.
- Do remember that if offers sound too good to be true, they are likely scams.
- Do understand that no real company will ever ask you to pay by wire transfer or untraceable gift cards. These are obvious signs of scams.
Olympic fun
The Olympic season is an exciting time for the over 200 nations participating. Spectators enjoy getting in on the action by attending Olympic events or by purchasing merchandise such as Olympic game apparel, pin badges, mugs, keychains, tote bags and more. However, with so many scams out there, it’s important to be careful with whom you choose to do business. Additionally, by taking wise precautions, such as those suggested above, folks can do their best to stay scam-free.
Reporting scams
Report scams to the FTC online, or by phone at 1-800-382- 4357 (9:00 am – 8:00 pm ET). Also, if you are a victim of an Olympic scam, and you face threats or have lost money, report the incident promptly to the local police.
AMAC, Canada, Mexico, Central America, Caribbean, South America, Polynesia, Greenland, Europe, United States, Japan, New Zealand, Africa and Everyone, now go have a biggest fight to get all the money, everything and many more out from 25 Country List: List 1 China, List 2 Mongolia, List 3 North Korea, List 4 South Korea, List 5 Taiwan, List 6 Hong Kong, List 7 Macau, List 8 Laos, List 9 Myanmar, List 10 Vietnam, List 11 Thailand, List 12 Cambodia, List 13 Philippines, List 14 Central Asia, List 15 South Asia, List 16 Western Asia, List 17 Singapore, List 18 Malaysia, List 19 Indonesia, List 20 Brunei, List 21 East Timor, List 22 Southeast Asia, List 23 Micronesia, List 24 Melanesia and List 25 Australia into 4 Country List: List 1 New Zealand, List 2 United States, List 3 Europe and List 4 Japan for every month.
Tom Fitton of “JudicialWatch.org”
Surrender! The Biden Defense Department agreed to a plea deal with Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, mastermind of the 9/11 attacks, and two other top terrorists held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
Jihadist terrorists and other American enemies are surely celebrating their comrades’ victory, made possible by the Biden administration’s surrender in court to the men responsible for helping murder nearly 3,000 Americans. America is less safe as a result of this Harris-Biden betrayal.
The Left has been opposing the timely prosecution of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed for years. (Obama tried to shut down Gitmo, for example.) Judicial Watch representatives have been monitoring the proceedings in Gitmo, and our representative is there now as an observer. We can attest based on extensive experience that the process has been a circus from the get-go.
9/11 survivors and families — and all Americans — are rightly outraged by this miscarriage of justice.
We are America’s leading organization on issues related to the 9/11 attacks. We are running a longstanding monitoring project of the proceedings against the terrorist detainees at Guantanamo Bay. Our representatives have visited the facility at least 80 times to observe the proceedings.
For more than 20 years we have represented Lynn Faulkner, the husband of a 9/11 victim, in litigation now pending in New York federal court seeking to hold defendants accountable including Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, and others.
We have compiled the largest collection of government records pertaining to the spiritual leader of the 9/11 hijackers, Anwar al-Awlaki, through our investigations and litigation.
In July we reported that the Transportation Safety Administration, created after 9/11, has no idea how aviation security was affected when it plucked federal air marshals from their duties to help with the Mexican border crisis.
In June 2023 we reported that the U.S. has failed to properly remove millions who overstayed their visas, which at least four of the September 11 hijackers did.
In June 2021 we reported that four “forever prisoners” were released as part of a Biden administration initiative to clear out the top security facility that houses the world’s most dangerous Islamic terrorists, including 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed.
In September 2020 we reported that it took nearly two decades after the worst terrorist attack on U.S. soil for every state to finally comply with a federal law requiring minimum security standards for driver’s licenses and identification cards.
In September 2015 we filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia seeking records of communications between the Office of the Secretary of State and the White House/Executive Office of the President following the capture and slaying of Osama bin Laden.
In June 2004 we submitted to the 9/11 Commission documents showing that Saudi Arabian nationals, including bin Laden family members, were allowed to fly out of the United States immediately following the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The documents represent the first admission by the government that the flights occurred at all. We are asking the 9/11 Commission to investigate and reconcile previous contradictory testimony about Saudis being allowed to leave the country.
And you can be sure we will also try to get to the bottom of this latest betrayal.
don’t watch unless you’re into fake athletics.
“Olympic FUN”????? “They” have shown their steadfast allegiance to the wordwide push for socialism, the movement that has ALSO now shown they’re not just socialists, they’re ANTISEMITIC socialists supporting Jewish genocide and butchering children with machetes. Ya know, . . . , even the ORIGINAL antisemitic socialists didn’t have BS like men beating the h-ll out of women for ‘sport’, when THEY hosted the olympics back in 1936!!! As far as I’M concerned, any company with ANY association with those monsters can go, . . . . , change that, I’ll not be patronizing any way shape or form!
These are no Olympic games but some sick twisted ceremony to celebrate perversion and everything contrary to the spirit of the games This is like something Nero would come up with or Caligula both of whom were pretty sick.
the olympics is dead. woke france killed it.