The first week of Olympic ticket payments saw the continuance of cyber attacks, according to the latest information from Norton.
Cyber criminals have employed tried and tested methods to target ticket hopefuls, including poisoned Internet search results and fake e-mail confirmations.
Over 1 500 malicious Web links were identified when searching for common Olympic related terms such as “London 2012 stadium diagram”, “London 2012 stadium seating chart”, “London 2012 stadium map” and “London 2012 logo ideas”. These poisoned search results are planted by cyber criminals to attract people to unofficial or infected Web sites hosting malware, often designed to steal identities and sensitive financial information.
In addition, fake Olympic ticket confirmations have been circulating, aimed at tricking people into sharing their personal financial details.
From Monday 16 May 2011, 2012 Olympic ticket applicants have had payments sporadically withdrawn from their bank accounts.
Kara Rawden, Senior Marketing Manager, Consumer - Middle East and Africa Symantec Corporation, says: “Those who have been lucky enough to secure tickets may not have the money deducted from their account immediately, as this could happen anytime before 10 June 2011.
“Cyber criminals could use this window to put fraudulent transactions through people's accounts, reliant on individuals not checking the details. If you've applied for tickets, make sure you regularly check your bank statement, particularly over the next couple of weeks while waiting for the official Olympics to withdraw payment.”
Rawden adds: “Do not respond to any e-mails asking for additional bank details in order to secure 2012 Olympic tickets and never enter your personal details on a site that isn't secured by an SSL certificate. If in doubt, contact LOCOG to confirm whether or not the correspondence is genuine.”
LOCOG has a special page on its Web site where you can check the URL of any site which is asking you for details: http://www.london2012.com/about-this-website/ticketing-website-checker.php.
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