Olympics merchandise shoppers targeted with fake sites

Numerous websites impersonating the official Milano Cortina Olympics merchandise stores have been targeting U.S. and European shoppers as part of a discount scam campaign, Reuters reports.

Misleading ads on Meta platforms touting up to 80% discount on supposed official products have been used to redirect shoppers to lookalike websites that collect payment details and personal information, including login information, email accounts, home addresses, and phone numbers, a report from Bitdefender Labs showed. Some victims may receive counterfeit items, while others may receive nothing at all. Most of the fraudulent sites vanish within days or hours after victims pay for the products.

The cybersecurity firm said the fake stores closely copy the branding, color schemes, merchandise collections, and product images, with many domains registered only days apart. The press office said it is "aware of unauthorized websites that misuse the Games brand and these are promptly reported to the relevant authorities."