LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — You might be looking for last-minute tickets and merchandise ahead of the F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix. If so, cybersecurity experts are warning of scammers looking to cash in on all the hype surrounding the race weekend in the entertainment capital of the world.
cyber security company brand shield recently carried out a scan of websites to identify scams trying to take advantage of F1 fans. Below is an example of a website the company has identified that claims to sell F1 tickets.
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Yoav Keren, founder of BrandShield, says one of the main things to look out for is spelling or grammatical errors on a web page or entire domain name. That’s usually a sign of fraud, he said. For example, on the above scam site, the home page says “When out of stock.”
![F1 Cybersecurity Fraud](https://ewscripps.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/1fc278a/2147483647/strip/true/crop/814x437+0+0/resize/814x437!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fewscripps-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fde%2Fde%2F395d42b848ae8ee3c5989f110d5a%2F2.png)
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The “Customer Testimonials” section of its website is also blank. If there are no reviews or negative reviews, that’s a sign to avoid, Kellen advises.
Below is another example of a fraudulent website identified by BrandShield. They sell fraudulent F1 gear and other products.
![F1 Cybersecurity Fraud](https://ewscripps.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/8cb0d9c/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1598x901+0+0/resize/1280x722!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fewscripps-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F6e%2F40%2F951afa974b06930536e3f4d6d0a2%2F3.jpeg)
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Mr Kellen said it was becoming harder for people to spot scams, especially as new technology began to make them look more and more real.
“One of the things we’re seeing is that fraudsters are becoming more and more sophisticated, making it much harder for regular users to tell the difference. It’s also one of the tools we use to make our websites and social media accounts look good, and it’s very legitimate,” Kellen said.
Kellen’s other tips to avoid falling victim to a scam ahead of F1 include being on the lookout for suspicious direct messages or texts you receive with promising deals. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
He also said that if you click on an ad on social media or elsewhere online, you should have direct access to the promised deal. If you are directed to another her website or pop-up, it may be a scam.