Super Bowl scams surge in February and target your data

The Super Bowl is not lone the biggest sporting lawsuit of the year, but it has besides go 1 of the busiest scam seasons.

Every February, millions of Americans person texts, emails and calls tied to the game, specified as "Your summons couldn't beryllium delivered," "Your streaming relationship needs verification" oregon "Your betting relationship was locked." At archetypal glance, these messages whitethorn look similar random spam, but successful reality, they are cautiously targeted.

Instead of blasting messages blindly, scammers trust connected information brokers – companies that collect, bundle and merchantability idiosyncratic information. These brokers physique elaborate profiles, and scammers either bargain oregon bargain those lists to determine precisely who to people and when.

Below, I'll explicate however this strategy works and, much importantly, however you tin region yourself from the information pipeline scammers beryllium on.

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Scammers ramp up Super Bowl-themed fraud each February, utilizing fake ticket, streaming and betting alerts to bargain idiosyncratic accusation from unsuspecting fans. (Elisa Schu/picture confederation via Getty Images)

Why Super Bowl play is simply a golden excavation for scammers

Big events make urgency, emotion and distraction – cleanable conditions for fraud. During Super Bowl week, scammers usage the aforesaid themes existent companies use:

• Ticket confirmations
• Streaming work alerts
• Betting relationship warnings
• Delivery delays for nutrient oregon merchandise.

But here's the key: they don't blast these messages randomly. They people radical who look similar apt buyers. That targeting comes from your integer profile.

How scammers cognize you're a 'Super Bowl target'

You mightiness ne'er person posted astir football, yet you inactive person a fake summons message. That's due to the fact that information brokers physique profiles utilizing your:

• Address history
• Household size
• Income range
• Age
• Shopping behavior
• Most-used apps
• Frequently visited websites
• Household members.

These details are stitched unneurotic from retailers, apps, nationalist records and tracking tools – past sold to marketers and, eventually, leaked oregon resold to scammers. So erstwhile Super Bowl play arrives, scammers simply filter their lists: "People who look similar they'd ticker the game, spot a bet, oregon bid food." And your telephone fig is close there.

The astir communal Super Bowl scam messages

During Super Bowl week, scammers flood inboxes and phones with messages that look similar they came from morganatic companies. The extremity is simple: make urgency, marque you click and bargain your accusation earlier you person clip to think. Here are the scams I spot spike each February:

1) Fake summons alerts

"Your Super Bowl summons transportation failed. Verify now."

These messages unreal to travel from Ticketmaster, StubHub oregon SeatGeek. They assertion your summons couldn't beryllium delivered, your transportation is pending oregon your relationship needs verification. The nexus takes you to a fake login leafage that looks identical to the existent site. The infinitesimal you participate your email and password, scammers seizure your credentials. Many victims past find their existent summons accounts emptied, their outgo methods utilized oregon their email taken over.

How to spot it:

• The sender's code is misspelled
• The nexus leads to a lookalike domain
• The connection creates panic and urgency.

What to do: Never click. Go straight to the summons tract done your browser oregon app.

2) Streaming relationship warnings

"Your Super Bowl watercourse is connected hold. Update billing now."

These messages impersonate large streaming platforms similar YouTube TV, Hulu, ESPN, Peacock oregon cablegram providers. They assertion your outgo failed oregon your relationship is suspended conscionable earlier kickoff. The nexus sends you to a fake billing leafage that steals your recognition paper details, login credentials oregon both. Some versions instal malware that records keystrokes and login activity.

Why this works: Millions of radical watercourse the Super Bowl. Scammers cognize astir recipients won't adjacent question it.

What to do: Open the streaming app straight and cheque your relationship there. Ignore immoderate links successful the message.

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Super Bowl scams aren’t random; criminals usage elaborate information broker profiles to people apt viewers, bettors and shoppers. (Kim Kulish/Corbis via Getty Images)

3) Betting relationship freezes

"Your wager is pending. Confirm your identity."

These people radical who person been flagged by information brokers arsenic apt sports bettors. Messages assertion your relationship with DraftKings, FanDuel oregon BetMGM is locked owed to "suspicious activity."

The fake verification leafage asks for:

• Your afloat name
• Date of birth
• Social Security number
• Bank oregon paper details.

This gives scammers everything they request to perpetrate individuality theft.

What to do: Never respond to betting relationship messages extracurricular the authoritative app.

4) Merch and nutrient transportation scams

"Your Super Bowl bid is delayed. Track here."

Scammers mimic fashionable retailers and transportation apps, similar Amazon, DoorDash, Uber Eats, FedEx and USPS. They assertion your food, jersey oregon enactment supplies couldn't beryllium delivered.

Clicking the tracking nexus can:

• Install malware
• Redirect you to a fake login page
• Steal your outgo info.

Why it works: People are expecting packages and nutrient orders that week, truthful the connection feels real.

What to do: Use the retailer's authoritative app oregon website to cheque orders.

Why families are deed adjacent harder

Your information isn't isolated. Data brokers link radical surviving astatine the aforesaid address, spouses, children and roommates. So 1 exposed illustration becomes an full household target. During Super Bowl weekend, erstwhile everyone's utilizing phones, scanning QR codes and ordering food, 1 atrocious click tin enactment the full household astatine risk.

The existent problem: you're inactive connected the lists

Most radical effort to support themselves by:

• Deleting emails
• Blocking numbers
• Installing antivirus software.

Those help, but they don't halt your information from being sold again tomorrow. As agelong arsenic your accusation exists successful data-broker databases, scammers tin support uncovering you. That's wherefore I urge removing your information astatine the source.

The ‘game-day cleanup’ that stops the targeting

If you privation less scam messages, not conscionable amended filters, you request to region your idiosyncratic information from information brokers. That's wherever a information removal work comes in. While nary work tin warrant the implicit removal of your information from the internet, a information removal work is truly a astute choice. They aren't cheap, and neither is your privacy. These services bash each the enactment for you by actively monitoring and systematically erasing your idiosyncratic accusation from hundreds of websites. It's what gives maine bid of caput and has proven to beryllium the astir effectual mode to erase your idiosyncratic information from the internet. By limiting the accusation available, you trim the hazard of scammers cross-referencing information from breaches with accusation they mightiness find connected the acheronian web, making it harder for them to people you.

Check retired my apical picks for information removal services and get a escaped scan to find retired if your idiosyncratic accusation is already retired connected the web by visiting Cyberguy.com.

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What to bash earlier Super Bowl weekend

Here's however to support yourself close now:

• Don't click Super Bowl messages. Even if they look real, spell straight to the company's website instead. Use beardown antivirus bundle to assistance artifact malicious links, fake websites and malware earlier they tin bargain your information.Get my picks for the champion 2026 antivirus extortion winners for your Windows, Mac, Android and iOS devices at Cyberguy.com.
• Avoid QR codes from emails oregon texts. Many nexus to fake login pages.
• Use recognition cards, not debit cards. They connection stronger fraud protection.
• Remove your information from broker sites. This is the azygous astir effectual mode to trim scam targeting.

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Fake Super Bowl tickets and streaming messages often make urgency, pushing victims to click malicious links oregon fake login pages. (Kyle Ericksen/Penske Media via Getty Images)

Kurt's cardinal takeaways

Super Bowl scams are not random. Instead, they are precision-targeted utilizing idiosyncratic information sold down the scenes. While you cannot halt scammers from trying, you tin marque it harder for them to find you. By removing your information now, you trim scam messages, bounds fake alerts and little your risk, not lone this Super Bowl, but passim the full year. That benignant of extortion is simply a triumph worthy celebrating.

Have you received scam texts oregon emails tied to the Super Bowl? What did they look like, and did you astir autumn for one? Let america cognize by penning to america at Cyberguy.com.

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