The Qatar 2022 World Cup drives soccer passion around the world and Ecuador is no exception. The expectation generated by this tournament is so great that hundreds of citizens in the country are looking for “free” ways to watch it because they cannot pay the official cable companies that have the rights. Although the national television station Teleamazonas has the rights for an open signal, it will only show 32 live games and not the 64 that will be played.
One of the most common ways to try to watch the World Cup for free are webpages streaming whose links are shared massively on social networks such as Twitter, Facebook and TikTok. However, the vast majority of these pirate links represent a danger to the user, since they have been created by cybercriminals to try to steal personal data.
Hackers create pages or links that lead to fake sites. They take advantage of the fact that the victim wants to watch the game and take them to their malicious site without suspecting that they are dealing with a hoax.
They also create applications for mobile phones, smart TVs or computers. Sometimes they ask to install a program to watch the games on-line of the world But of course, you are really installing malicious software, that it has been created only to defraud, to steal personal data.
Cyber criminals could even control your computer. For example, placing a Trojan horse or a keylogger that also records all the passwords that are typed.
“Watching World Cup matches, winning jerseys and even winning album stickers are attractive reasons for cybercriminals to carry out attacks using them. Now it does not mean that all sites are malicious but that we must be alert”, says Martina López, ESET computer security specialist.
The expert’s recommendation is always to go to official sites. However, if the user decides to enter a dubious link, the first alerts should come when it is required to give data, create accounts, give emails, telephone numbers. Additionally, the site may host or have references to malicious downloads: “When they tell you that to access the content (watch the matches) you must download such an application or such a file that in the end ends up being a malware. It could also be a browser extension that has malicious behavior”.
Malicious applications can also be downloaded to smart TVs, but one of the biggest problems with these devices is that, up to now, there is no antivirus for these smart TVs, so once infected they cannot be “cleaned”.
Other methods that cybercriminals are using is the creation of fake pages that offer anything from event tickets or merchandise, to numerous giveaways and NFT scams. The Kaspersky company analyzed phishing websites linked to Qatar 2022.
Experts discovered numerous phishing pages offering to buy tickets for FIFA matches. It goes without saying that users will lose personal details, bank details and money. Furthermore, scammers can also start using the stolen data for other purposes or selling it on the Dark Web.
Also, according to ESET, A hoax is circulating on WhatsApp in Ecuador that tries to make people believe that FIFA is giving away data to people around the world.
“Free 50GB data plan for all networks. FIFA offers people around the world 50GB of free data to watch the Qatar 2022 World Cup,” the message sent by the criminals indicates.
The goal is to collect people’s phone number and convince them to enable notifications to deliver malvertising on the device. The deception even seeks that the person contact a supposed representative of a telephone company by telephone through an unknown number.
The message includes a link that redirects to a disreputable page. If the person clicks on the button that says “click here”, the site will ask the potential victim to enter their phone number. If you enter this information, it will go into the hands of scammers.
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Then, and as usually happens in this type of hoax, in order to advance and receive the supposed prize, the campaign establishes a requirement that the message be first shared with 12 contacts or WhatsApp groups. In this way, cybercriminals keep the fraudulent message circulating and it is for this very reason that the message usually comes from a known contact.
When the person thought they were done, the site asks to complete one more step and also promises the possibility of winning additional prizes, such as an iPhone or an iPad. To do this, you must click on one of the verification methods offered.
Regardless of which option is chosen, the scam redirects to a new website that tries to make the person believe that they have been selected to participate in a loyalty program and can therefore participate in a game (roulette) to obtain an iPhone or an IPAD.
Then they make believe that the person won a 256GB iPhone 12 Pro. However, none of this is real. The person is redirected again to another page that indicates how to claim the prize.
This page includes the logo of three mobile phone providers so that the person can choose theirs. If the victim clicks on one of these options, the app will open to make calls with a recorded phone number for the victim to communicate with. If the victim calls, surely a scammer on the other end will pretend to be a representative of the phone company to continue stealing her personal information.
Kléber Muñoz says that for the last Copa América he tried to watch the tournament “for free” from an app that was recommended on Twitter. He downloaded it to a phone and his laptop, but the app never “launched.” Days later he noticed that the web advertising on these devices was extremely invasive and took them in for review.
“They found viruses and told me that they extracted information from my contacts. The truth was that I was scared and they explained to me that luckily it didn’t get any worse, but they recommended that I change the passwords for everything and that’s what I did. It stayed with me as an experience and I no longer click or download anything that is not legal or official. I prefer to listen to the radio and not expose myself to my personal information being accessed, ”she says.
To avoid this type of cyber-scams it is recommended:
- Use reputable antivirus that identifies malicious attachments and blocks phishing sites.
- Before clicking a questionable link, hover over it to preview the URL and look for misspellings or other irregularities.
- Consider what type of information is being requested. Legitimate companies do not contact you out of the blue via unsolicited emails asking for personal information such as bank or credit card details, social security number, etc.
- Check the grammar, spelling, and syntax of messages, web pages, and even links, as typos and poor grammar are usually red flags. (YO)
Table of positions of the groups of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar
Calendar, fixture and schedules of the World Cup in Qatar 2022
Statistics, schedules, matches and results of the World Cup in Qatar 2022
Today’s matches at the Qatar 2022 World Cup
Source: Eluniverso
Paul is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment and general news. He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established herself as a respected voice in the industry.
