U.S. authorities and blockchain investigators say World Cup-themed scams now span fake ticket sites, betting schemes and low-liquidity tokens promoted around the tournament.
U.S. law enforcement and blockchain investigators have widened warnings around World Cup-related fraud, highlighting fake ticketing sites, betting scams and speculative tokens marketed to fans ahead of the June 11 kickoff. The FBI issued a public service announcement on May 27 about more than 30 fake FIFA sites harvesting user data and selling fraudulent tickets, and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department followed on June 3 with alerts on ticket resale fraud, fake merchandise stores and pirated streaming sites. On June 11, TRM Labs said it was tracking four cryptocurrency wallets tied to active scams, including counterfeit ticket offers and a matched-betting scheme, with cumulative inflows of less than $1,700 so far. Separately, blockchain analytics firm Bubblemaps flagged trading patterns in World Cup PvP, or WCUP, saying more than 30 wallets bought 95% of the token’s circulating supply within a minute of launch on June 10. TRM also pointed to another token, $WORLDCUP on LBank, warning that low-liquidity fan tokens can expose retail traders to dump risk. Authorities and analysts urged fans to buy only through FIFA’s official site, avoid crypto payments on untrusted platforms and verify website authenticity before sharing personal or financial data.