A fraudulent website purporting to sell tickets to the Paris 2024 Summer Olympic Games has been taken down after being identified by cybersecurity firm Proofpoint. The site, “paris24tickets[.]com,” appeared high in search engine results, misleading users into believing it was a legitimate platform.
Proofpoint’s Takedown Team worked with the website registrar to quickly suspend the domain following its discovery. The company warned that this is just one example of a growing trend of cybercrime targeting major events like the Olympics.
“The buzz around mega-events like the Paris Olympics creates a feeding frenzy for cybercriminals,” said Emile Abou Saleh, Senior Regional Director, Middle East, Turkey, and Africa at Proofpoint. “They exploit this excitement with social engineering – a sophisticated psychological manipulation tactic – effectively playing people, not technology.”
Proofpoint’s 2024 State of the Phish report highlighted a 19% increase in business email compromise (BEC) attacks last year, a type of cybercrime that often relies on social engineering tactics.
French authorities have also been battling the wave of fraudulent Olympic ticketing websites. The Gendarmerie Nationale has identified 338 such sites, with 51 shut down and 140 facing legal action.
The fake ticket site identified by Proofpoint mirrored the appearance of legitimate ticketing platforms, making it seem authentic. It offered a range of Olympic events and allowed users to create accounts and provide payment information.
Cybersecurity experts believe the site’s primary purpose was to steal money from unsuspecting users. However, it’s also possible that personal information, including names, addresses, and credit card details, was collected. The site was primarily promoted through search engine ads, but a small number of email campaigns were also observed.
“Fraudsters will always capitalize on current events,” said Abou Saleh. “The website’s placement on the search engine under the official Paris Olympics ticket site could have further added to its legitimacy.”
Proofpoint warns the public to remain vigilant and only purchase tickets through official channels. The only legitimate way to obtain tickets for the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games is through the official ticketing website.
