The author is the communications director for the Better Busines Bureau’s New York bureau.
The 2012 London Olympics are here and millions all over the world will spend all 17 days on the edge of their seats cheering on their country. From the moment the Opening Ceremony begins, excitement sweeps the nation and unfortunately, so do Olympic scams.
Reflecting back on the 2008 Beijing Olympics, it was reported they were on the receiving end of 12 million online attacks per day, and this year’s Olympics can count on receiving just as many or even more. In fact, officials at the 2012 Summer Olympics have already reported 124 known scams so far, most targeting enthusiastic consumers. Some of the hooks include:
Coca Cola London 2012 Olympic Games Promotions
The email contains a letter claiming to be from The Coca Cola London 2012 Olympic Games Promotions which tells the recipient that they won an email drawing. The letter invites the recipient to fill in an application form and promises a payment through an online transfer. It’s a scam.
2012 London Olympic Promotion or Claim Your Prize
The recipient receives an email purporting to be from a person who claims to be the “London Olympic Cash Officer” for London 2012, stating that the recipient was selected at random to receive a cash prize of $1.65 million. To receive the payment, they have to submit their personal bank account information to an email provided. It’s a scam.
Free Tickets or Olympic Weekly Drawing
The email informs the recipient that due to their company’s working partnership with the Olympics, they’ve been offered a number of complimentary tickets for the London Olympics closing ceremony. The email explains availability is limited and the offer expires in two days. The recipient is required to click the attachment for registration. It’s a scam.
Consumers are advised to keep a close eye on these email offers and others. The Better Business Bureau reminds consumers not to respond, provide any personal information or pay any money to the people who sent the email. Spammers will follow the Olympic headlines and continue to send emails suggesting you have “won” free memorabilia and even direct consumers to malicious Olympic-related websites through emails which may pretend to be official Olympic-related communications. If you receive an email that looks fishy, don’t click on any links and make sure to delete the email and run a virus scan immediately.
Spoof web sites can go up one day, and disappear the next. BBB recommends you check for a trustworthy businesses before you click or buy at bbb.org. Consumer should also know if they don’t see the padlock icon or an “s” in the http’s’ URL address it could be suspicious and not to enter any personal or financial information.
For 100 years, Better Business Bureau has been helping consumers find businesses, brands and charities they can trust. BBB has Business Reviews on more than 4 million companies and Charity Reviews on 11,000 charities, all available for free. Visit bbb.org for more information.