Weekly Scam Alert: Fake World Cup Betting Sites Are Ripping Off Fans

Scammers are taking advantage of the increased interest in soccer. Here’s how to avoid the bad actors.

With only three games to go before the World Cup championship match, scammers continue to cash in on soccer fever with fake prediction and betting sites. Despite promising to reward fans for picking winners, what they deliver are often worthless crypto tokens — or nothing at all.

Cybersecurity firm Malwarebytes investigated one such site directly. It found that the site matched several well-known scam patterns tied to fake ticketing, fixed-match betting and fan-branded meme coins. Fixed-match betting scams claim to use an infallible “prediction algorithm” or inside knowledge that a match has been rigged, while meme coin schemes involve insiders artificially inflating a token’s price before selling off their holdings, leaving its value near zero.

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These sites tend to follow one of a few playbooks. Some run a “pump-and-dump” scheme, where early users get payouts to build trust before the creators cash out and the token collapses. Others simply take your deposit and stop responding once it’s time to pay out. Malwarebytes also flagged copycat token names designed to be mistaken for legitimate cryptocurrencies, along with fabricated trading activity meant to make a dead token look active.

Because these scams work by convincing users to send crypto voluntarily, standard advice to protect your credentials — like never sharing your recovery phrase — won’t help much.

It’s best to avoid any site that requires crypto as payment and instead stick to well-known, established betting sites like DraftKings, BetMGM and bet365. But if you are going to use a crypto site, check how many crypto wallets actually hold the World-Cup token that is being advertised. A handful of holders despite “heavy trading volume” is a clear red flag. Then, ask yourself what would happen if that money never came back. If the answer makes you uncomfortable, the answer is easy: don’t spend it.

Other current scams to watch out for

Unclaimed inheritance letters

The Federal Trade Commission is once again warning consumers about letters claiming their recipients are entitled to a share of a deceased stranger’s life insurance policy, a scam the agency says keeps resurfacing. Under the guise of a “lawyer,” a scammer claims a client with your same last name died and left behind a policy worth millions. Then, they offer to split the proceeds between you, a charity and the law firm provided you respond immediately and keep it confidential.

It’s a familiar con, one that the Better Business Bureau has tracked examples of across the U.S. In one, a scammer claimed a “Mrs. Maria” sharing the recipient’s last name had died of COVID-19 complications and left behind a payable-on-death account worth roughly $10.8 million, with the letter proposing a 90/10 split between the recipient’s family and a charity. Other victims who reported similar letters to BBB Scam Tracker described nearly identical pitches, with only the fictional deceased’s name and figures swapped out to match the recipient

If you get one of these letters, don’t respond, even out of curiosity. The FTC says the safest move is to toss it, share the warning with your family members who might get a similar letter and file a report at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

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Digital arrest con

A college professor in New England lost nearly $500,000 this spring after scammers convinced her she was under investigation for money laundering, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. The scheme, known as a “digital arrest,” involves fraudsters impersonating law enforcement or government officials and isolating victims until they hand over their savings.

The professor, who was told a New Delhi bank needed to conduct an audit of her finances, complied by transferring nearly all her savings through a crypto app after being warned she couldn’t speak to friends or family about the supposed investigation. Experts who spoke with the Chronicle called it one of the most sophisticated scams they’d seen, largely because it relied on sustained fear over months rather than a single high-pressure call.

While this type of scam remains far more common in other parts of the world, it is happening more frequently in the U.S. The FBI’s 2025 Internet Crime Complaint Center report shows a sharp rise in complaints involving government impersonation — from 17,367 in 2024 to 32,424 in 2025 — and threats of violence. Remember that no real law enforcement agency will ever order you to stay on a video call, cut off contact with family, or transfer money to “clear your name.” If you get a call like this, hang up and verify directly with the agency in question.

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The most common types of scam you should know

Scammers are constantly upping their game, coming up with new and exciting ways (for them) of fooling their targets. AI-powered scams are one example of this; the technology is being used to reach a larger number of people with increasingly more convincing schemes

But some tricks never run out of style. Most scams fall into a handful of familiar patterns, and many long-standing schemes are still a threat today. They’ve just evolved to better fit today’s digital landscape

1. Imposter scams: Scammers often pose as trusted figures such as government agencies, banks, employers and even friends or family to pressure victims into sending money or sharing personal information
2. Phishing and spoofing scams:
 These scams use emails, texts or phone calls that look like they’re from legitimate organizations. The goal is to trick you into clicking a malicious link, downloading malware or handing over sensitive information
3. Online shopping scams: Fraudsters can create fake online stores or listings with hard-to-find items at unusually low prices. After you pay for an article, what you end up getting might be counterfeit — or it may never arrive in the first place
4. Investment scams: This type of scam often arrives with promises of high returns from crypto, forex or other “exclusive” opportunities. Many involve long-term grooming tactics in which victims are encouraged to invest more over time before losing everything
5. Romance scams: Some scammers try to get into your pocket through the heart. They build a relationship with you on dating apps or social media, then convince you to give up money and assets by fabricating emergencies or investment opportunities

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What to do if you’re the target — or victim — of a scam

No one is immune to scams or fraud, but a few consistent habits can reduce their danger and the damage they cause

For starters, be skeptical of unsolicited messages, especially those creating fear or urgency. This might look like an email from your bank threatening to close an account, a text from an online marketplace saying you’ll lose a discount or a call from the IRS claiming they’ll report you to the authorities unless you “act now.”

Scammers love to use this sort of language because it puts you on the spot, which they expect will move you to action

Always verify any requests from an organization by cross-checking with its official phone numbers, email or website. And don’t click any links, download attachments or respond to messages you suspect may be fraudulent. A legitimate organization will not pressure you for instant action or secrecy

Now, if you’ve already sent financial information or money to someone you suspect is a scammer, you’ll need to take a few steps to protect your data and possibly get your money reimbursed. Contact your bank, credit card issuer or payment platform immediately and attempt to stop or reverse the transactions. Make sure to change any relevant passwords and enable multi-factor authentication to safeguard your accounts, too.

Reporting a scam might also help protect others. You can file a report with the Federal Trade Commission and with local authorities at your nearby police department or sheriff’s office. Identity theft victims should also consider temporarily freezing their credit

Lastly, review your financial statements and credit reports regularly, keep your software updated and limit how much personal information you share online. Scammers often rely on publicly available details to make their schemes more convincing

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