Paris Olympics ticket scams grow ahead of the summer games [Video]

Cybercriminals are launching websites to try to sell fake tickets to the Paris 2024 Summer Olympic Games and looking for other ways to scam unsuspecting tourists. They’re pouncing on the opportunity to dupe hopeful spectators into believing they’re paying for access to sporting events, when in reality, the criminals are just after consumers’ credit card information.

This type of crime is currently pervasive, with France’s national police force saying it has identified more than 300 such sites. Many of the scam sites originate from outside the nation, according to French media reports. Law officials have successfully taken down at least 50 of them.

Olympics and Paris-related scams aren’t limited to illicit ticket sales, though, or to the internet. Criminals are masterminding all manner of schemes, including hacking public wifi networks, creating fake listings for accommodations and stealing tourists’ valuables like cell phones, wallets and watches.

On the ticket scams front, the fraudulent websites often contain some …