Artificial intelligence tools, social networks and Pix expand the reach of scams related to the World Cup
Fraud attempts related to football and the World Cup have advanced significantly in the cycle leading up to the 2026 World Cup, which starts this week. A survey by NordVPN, a provider of virtual private network services, shows that 34% of Brazilians who use the internet reported contact with scams related to the issue in 2024 and 2025. The number represents almost double the 19% recorded before the 2022 World Cup.
The increase occurs in a scenario of greater sophistication in digital attacks, driven mainly by the use of generative artificial intelligence, which has drastically reduced the time needed to create scams and fake pages. In the last three months, complaints to Procon-SP related to the World Cup have multiplied by 8.
Among the main indicators of the advancement of fraud are:
- 34% of internet users had contact with football-related scams in 2024 and 2025;
- 19% reported similar situations in the 2022 World Cup cycle;
- 238 complaints were registered by Procon-SP between March and May 2026;
- Complaints to the agency jumped from 19 in March to 63 in April and 156 in May.
Faster frauds
The main difference between the 2022 and 2026 scenarios is the speed at which the coups are executed. 4 years ago, criminals needed more time and technical knowledge to set up fraudulent websites and scam campaigns. phishing.
Now, with artificial intelligence tools widely available, this process can be carried out in just a few hours.
“Today, with generative artificial intelligence tools accessible to anyone, this cycle has dropped to a few hours”, says Marcelo Souza, vice president of Product at Certta, an intelligent verification company that unifies anti-fraud solutions on a single platform.
In addition to speed, the strikes have become personalized. Instead of mass campaigns, criminals use leaked data, such as CPF (Individual Taxpayer Registration Number), email and purchase history, to create targeted approaches to victims.
Pix changes the scene
Another important transformation took place in payment methods. If in 2022 cards and bills still predominated, in 2026 Pix began to occupy a central position in fraud.
According to Marcelo Souza, the instantaneity of transfers makes it difficult to recover resources after the coup has taken place.“Pix also changes the equation in a very concrete way. The instantaneity and irreversibility of the transaction eliminates the reaction window“, it says.
Criminals also began to create fictitious brands that present themselves as official partners of the event and to infiltrate legitimate groups of collectors and fans to gain trust before carrying out scams.
Social media
According to NordVPN’s survey, social networks remain the main gateway to fraud related to the World Cup.
The channels most used by scammers are:
- Instagram: 51% of cases;
- WhatsApp: 48%;
- Facebook: 35%;
- TikTok: 26%.
Among the most frequent types of betting are illegal betting, selling fake tickets and selling counterfeit products.
sticker market
Fraud related to the World Cup is not limited to the internet, but also covers real commerce, as found by Procon-SP.
The main occurrences recorded at the agency from March to May were:
- 115 cases of non-delivery or delay;
- 34 cases of unfulfilled offer or misleading sale;
- 24 cases of incomplete products or different from those advertised.
Specific complaints about World Cup stickers and albums jumped from zero in March to 34 in April and 109 records in May. The complaints are concentrated on misleading advertisements and falsifications on marketplaces and messaging groups.
Crisis of confidence
For Marcelo Souza, the popularization of artificial intelligence also created a new challenge for consumers and companies: the difficulty in distinguishing authentic content from manipulated materials.
“Images, videos and documents are no longer synonymous with truth on the internet, this creates a crisis of digital trust”, he states.
According to him, the answer involves adopting more advanced authentication and monitoring systems for user behavior.
“If cybercriminals change their tactics in a matter of hours, why do many companies still take weeks or months to update prevention rules?“, it says.
For the executive, protection will increasingly depend on identity verification and the ability to detect non-standard behavior in real time. “Real trust is built at the identity layer, user recognition and the ability to react proportionately when something deviates from the standard”, he states.
Recommendations
Procon-SP has prepared the following guidelines for consumers to avoid falling for scams:
- Research the reputation of the store or seller;
- Be wary of offers priced well below the market;
- Check information such as CNPJ (National Register of Legal Entities), address and service channels;
- Save advertisements, payment receipts and conversations held;
- Check delivery time, exchange policy and offer conditions;
- When purchasing figurines and collectible products, check that the item is official and that the supplier is clearly identified.
- Register a complaint at the nearest Procon.
Regarding online purchases, Marcelo Souza, from Certta, recommends additional strategies:
- Ignore “urgency” triggers, such as countdown timers, and prices that are excessively below market;
- Check whether the CNPJ displayed on the website matches the retail sector: avoid “Phantom CNPJs” of consultancy or construction;
- Check the domain creation date (through WHOIS services): websites created less than 30 days ago are very strong signs of fraud;
- Avoid websites that only accept Pix: reputable platforms offer multiple payment methods (card, bank slip), which allow disputes.
This text was originally published by , on June 7, 2026 at 10:47 am. The content is free for republication, the source is cited, and has been adapted to the Poder360 standard.
