Football, entertainment, and travel-related scams: prevalence and vulnerability
Mexico
November 2025
Content
2
Methodology
Survey target group
18-64 years old residents of Mexico
Sampling
National representative sample among internet users �Quotas on age, gender, and place of residence
Contacts
Cint panel
Sample size
1000 respondents
Fieldwork
November 3-10, 2025
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Key takeaways: online scams
5
12% of internet users have lost money due to football, entertainment, or travel-related online scams during 2024-2025.
The likelihood of losing money to football-related scams is high: among internet users who encountered such scams, half reported financial losses.
72% are expected to follow the upcoming FIFA World Cup 2026, presenting scammers with a large potential audience.
Key takeaways: vulnerability and protection measures
6
Watching football on illegal platforms is one of the risk factors for getting scammed.
35-44-year-olds are more susceptible to scams and financial loss, especially when frustrated or stressed during weekday evenings.
Internet users already know the basics of protection from online scams, but need to apply concrete measures and adopt effective cybersecurity tools more widely.
01
Scam prevalence
Football, entertainment, and travel-related scams are less prevalent than other scams in Mexico.
% from all respondents
Prevalence of online scams in 2024-2025
28%
encountered a football, or entertainment, or travel-related online scam
Calls or messages from a fake customer support center, bank
Fake job offers
Fake financial offers
Fake gift cards, coupons, prizes, or lottery
Scams related to football
Scams related to concerts or entertainment events
Scams related to traveling
Fake charity donations
Romance scams
None of the above
Which of these scams have you personally encountered ONLINE over the course of 2024 and 2025?
02
Football-related scams
Fake match tickets are the main tactics for football-related scams.
Betting-related scams are also prevalent.
% from those who encountered a football-related scam, n=143
Football-related online scams in 2024-2025
Fake match ticket sales
Betting scams related to football
Fake football merchandise
Fake flight offers for matches
Sales of fake memorabilia signed by players
Fraudulent fan club memberships, exclusive access offers
Fake accommodation reservations for matches
Phishing attempts related to football
Fake car rental offers for matches
I don't remember
* Match fixing scams (like promising insider information on rigged matches)
Betting tip scams
Promotions for bonuses with upfront payments
Fake betting offers for football matches
Match fixing scams*
Loan scams for betting
Phishing attempts related to betting
What football-related scams did you encounter online?
What types of betting scams related to football have you encountered online?
14%
of internet users encountered football-related online scams in 2024-2025
Football-related scams reach the audience via social media and messaging apps mainly.
Facebook and WhatsApp are the main apps.
% from those who encountered a football-related scam, n=143
Contact channels
Social media
Messaging apps
A fake website
SMS
An online pop-up ad
Other
I don't remember
How or where did you come into contact with these football-related scams?
X (Twitter)
TikTok
Messenger (Facebook)
Telegram
7% of respondents reported monetary losses to football-related scams, typically losing $1001 MXN-$2000 MXN.
The majority of them encountered multiple scam attempts.
% from those who lost money to football-related scams, n=69
Financial losses and scam frequency in 2024-2025
7%
of internet users lost money to football-related online scams
Those who have suffered financial losses, lost on average
$1001 MXN-$2000 MXN
in 2024-2025
4 or more times
How many times have you encountered football-related scams online?
2 or 3 times
Once
I don't remember
World Cup Qatar 2022 was highly followed, and 17% of internet users encountered football-related scams during it.
Fake match ticket sales were the most prevalent scam.
% from all respondents
% from those who encountered scams, n=168
Fake match ticket sales
Sales of fake football merchandise
Fake flight offers for matches at home or abroad
Fake hotel or accommodation reservations
Sales of fake memorabilia signed by players
Fraudulent fan club memberships or exclusive access offers
Betting scams related to football
Phishing attempts related to football
Fake car rental offers for matches at home or abroad
Other
I don't remember
74%
of internet users followed World Cup Qatar 2022
17%
of internet users encountered a football-related online scams while following World Cup Qatar 2022
Online scams related to FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022
What football-related ONLINE scams did you encounter while following the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar?
Football is highly popular in Mexico.
The FIFA World Cup 2026 is going to be followed widely.
A big football fan
A fan
Not a fan
Are going to watch or follow
World CUP 2026
Maybe
No
% from all respondents
The popularity of football
68%
03
Entertainment-related scams
Fake concert or event tickets are the most common type of entertainment-related scams.
% from those who encountered an entertainment-related scam, n=127
Entertainment-related online scams in 2024-2025
Fake concert or event ticket sales
Phishing attempts related to concerts or events
Sales of fake merchandise related to artists or events
Scams offering fake event guarantees or refunds
Fraudulent fan club memberships, exclusive access offers
Fake accommodation reservations for events
Sales of fake memorabilia signed by celebrities
Fake flight offers for events
Fake car rental offers for events
Other
I don't remember
What scams related to concerts or entertainment events did you encounter online?
13%
of internet users encountered entertainment-related online scams in 2024-2025
Entertainment-related scams reach the audience via social media and messaging apps mainly.
Facebook,WhatsApp, and Messenger are the main apps.
% from those who encountered an entertainment-related scam, n=127
Contact channels
Social media
Messaging apps
SMS
A fake website
An online pop-up ad
I don't remember
How or where did you come into contact with these scams related to concerts or entertainment?
TikTok
X (Twitter)
Messenger (Facebook)
Telegram
5% of respondents reported monetary losses to entertainment-related scams, typically losing $1001 MXN-$2000 MXN.
The majority of them encountered multiple scam attempts.
% from those who lost money to football-related scams, n=53
Financial losses and scam frequency in 2024-2025
5%
of internet users lost money to football-related online scams
Those who have suffered financial losses, lost on average
$1001 MXN-$2000 MXN
in 2024-2025
4 or more times
How many times have you encountered football-related scams online?
2 or 3 times
Once
I don't remember
04
Traveling-related scams
Misleading travel packages are the most prevalent form of travel-related scams.
% from those who encountered a travel-related scam, n=125
Misleading travel packages
Fake offers for accommodation reservations
Fake offers regarding tickets for tours or sightseeing
Fake visa or travel document services
Fake flight offers
Phishing attempts related to traveling
Fake travel insurance offers
Fake offers for shuttle or taxi services
Fake car rental offers
I don't remember
What scams related to concerts or entertainment events did you encounter online?
Travel-related online scams in 2024-2025
12%
of internet users encountered travel-related online scams in 2024-2025
Travel-related scams reach the audience via social media and messaging apps mainly.
Facebook and WhatsApp are the main apps.
% from those who encountered an travel-related scam, n=125
Contact channels
Social media
Messaging apps
SMS
A fake website
An online pop-up ad
Other
I don't remember
How or where did you come into contact with these travel-related scams?
TikTok
X (Twitter)
Messenger (Facebook)
Telegram
4% of respondents reported monetary losses to travel-related scams, typically losing $2001 MXN-$3000 MXN.
The majority of them encountered multiple scam attempts.
% from those who lost money to football-related scams, n=41
Financial losses and scam frequency in 2024-2025
4 or more times
How many times have you encountered football-related scams online?
2 or 3 times
Once
I don't remember
4%
of internet users lost money to football-related online scams
Those who have suffered financial losses, lost on average
$2001 MXN-$3000 MXN
in 2024-2025
Overall, 12% of respondents reported experiencing monetary losses due to scams related to football, entertainment, or travel.
Summary
| Football-related | Entertainment- related | Travel-related |
Most often topic | Fake match tickets - main Betting | Fake concert or event tickets | Misleading travel packages |
Contact channels | WhatsApp Messenger | ||
Share of victims | 7% | 5% | 4% |
Amount of typical monetary losses | $1001 MXN-$2000 MXN | $1001 MXN-$2000 MXN | $2001 MXN-$3000 MXN |
12%
of internet users lost money to any scam (football, entertainment, or travel)
Football-related scam attempts are more frequent than entertainment or travel-related scams
05
Vulnerability to scams
% from those who lost money to any scam (football, entertainment, or travel), n=120
Risk factors to lose money
Frustrated
Stressed
Excited
Distracted
Happy
Calm
Bored
Other
What was your emotional state at the time you received the scam offer that later caused you to lose money?
What circumstances were you in when you fell for the scam?
Morning
Day
Evening
Night
Weekday
Weekend
I was working or studying
It was my time off
I was vacationing
I don't remember
Who lost money more often?
Men
35-44y
Higher income
Managers or professionals
Residents of big cities
Football fans
Watched football on illegal streaming channels,
especially on multiple
35-44-year-olds, when frustrated or stressed, on weekdays in the evening, are more likely to fall for the scams and lose money.
Illegal viewing of football is common.
There is a lack of knowledge about cyber threats on illegal channels.
At least half of users believe illegal channels are relatively secure.
% from all respondents
% from those who used that channel to watch football
Safe
(completely
and somewhat)
Completely safe
44% 90%
31% 84%
41% 79%
25% 53%
34% 75%
36% 82%
Perceived safety of illegal channels
TV or paid streaming services
YouTube
Social media
Live at the stadium
Pirate websites
IPTV
Messaging apps
P2P platforms or torrents
Other
I don't remember
I haven't watched
45%
of internet users
watched football on any illegal channel in 2024-2025
Where did you watch football matches in the course of 2024 and 2025?
Portrait of a viewer of illegal channels
18-44y
Average income
Employed (white or blue collar)
Resident of a big city
How safe do you believe watching football on following channels is when it comes to online threats?
06
Measures of protection against online scams
There is a need to raise awareness about concrete measures such as checking website security, using secure payment methods, or checking financial statements.
% from all respondents
Full statements:
*Use secure payment methods (such as credit cards or payment platforms that provide fraud protection, like PayPal)
*Avoid deals that sound too good to be true (such as claims of unexpected winnings, extremely low prices, or offers that require immediate action)
*Regularly check my bank and credit card statements for unauthorized transactions
*Remain cautious about requests for personal information, money, or passwords
*Educate myself about online scams and the protective measures I can take
Behavioral protection measures
Avoid clicking on suspicious links
Avoid messages or calls from unknown numbers or senders
Limit the personal information I share online
Avoid deals that sound too good to be true*
Research if the website is legitimate before making a purchase
Remain cautious about requests*
Use secure payment methods*
Verify the sender's identity before responding
Regularly check my bank and credit card statements*
Check website security (HTTPS, padlock)
Read reviews and ratings on trusted websites
Educate myself about online scams*
None of the above
What do you do to protect yourself against online scams?
Internet users already know what can lead to losses:
2FA is considered the most effective tool against online scams, but it is little used.
The most popular tool is antivirus software, which is also one of the most effective.
VPNs are regarded as effective as antivirus software, but their adoption rate is significantly lower.
% from all respondents
% from those who use that tool
Most effective from scams
Antivirus software
Password manager
Ad blocker
Anti-spam or email filtering tools
Two-factor authentication (2FA)
Firewall
VPN
Identity theft protection
Tracker blocker
Anti-malware tools
Anti-phishing or anti-scam tools
Cyber insurance
None of the above
93%
of internet users use at least one cybersecurity tool
Which cybersecurity tools do you use on your personal devices?
Technological protection measures
07
VPN for watching football
24% of football fans use a VPN to stream matches from other countries.
16% use it frequently.
% from football fans, n=681
VPN usage for streaming football from other countries
Always
How often do you use a VPN connection to stream football matches from other countries?
Often
Sometimes
Use a VPN for football
Thank you!
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