In the face of events of great magnitude and attendance, many times fans can leave the purchase of their tickets until the last minute, giving not only the opportunity to resellers to speculate on prices, but also to scammers to capture their victims.

And just days before one of the most anticipated sporting events of the year, the 2026 FIFA World Cup, begins, data published by LegalShield indicates that more than 60% of fans are scammed by alleged sellers who never had the tickets.

LegalShield's analysis also detailed that 66% of people who pay for exclusive services or VIP access do not have those services or their entry fee is reduced, while 36% are rejected at the entrance of the establishment because their “verified” tickets are fraudulent.

And with the rise of artificial intelligence, fraudsters are implementing new photo manipulation tools and fraudulent QR codes, making fake tickets go undetected.

While the excitement of getting the tickets can blind us to what could be a scam, Ben Farrow, an attorney at LegalShield, explains what to do to avoid falling victim further:

Fraud or misrepresentations are stipulated in consumer protection law in most states, so if your ticket does not have the characteristics of a ticket, you should report it; If you receive something different than described, sellers have deadlines for returns.