Every Olympic season brings heroes, headlines and national pride. It also brings something else. Scams.
When millions search for medals, highlights and new sporting stars, criminals see opportunity. They follow the traffic. They plant traps. And this year, one name rose suspiciously fast across social media feeds.
Posts falsely labelled her as a Pinay gold medallist and promoted claims of a leaked video, yet there is no verified record that she has ever competed as an athlete. Posts onFacebook,Instagram, X and Telegram promoted a supposed leaked video, but links redirected users to suspicious or phishing pages rather than any verified footage.
Thumbnails looked dramatic. Headlines promised exclusive footage. Links urged users to watch the full video. But the story was not about sports. It was a deception. Behind the viral buzz lay a calculated phishing campaign designed to steal data, not share news.
The posts seemed real initially. The text read like it was from a sports columnist, and the pictures depicted success. The Olympic label appears to have been added by scammers to increase clicks, as there is no documented connection between her and any Olympic or professional sporting event.
When basic proof was checked, things did not match up. No evidence links her with any Olympic statistics, federations, medal counts, or proof of athletic competition. Reports indicate she is known primarily as a Filipino social media creator, and her images were reused without evidence of any athletic career.
Cybersecurity analysts say scammers often attach real images to fabricated achievements to build trust and steer users towards phishing or malware sites.
When users click the link, they are frequently redirected to unfamiliar websites rather than legitimate video platforms.This is the start of the trap. Some links imitate social media login pages to capture credentials, while others prompt downloads that may install malware or spyware.
Some phishing links prompt malware or spyware downloads that can compromise device performance and privacy. The damage occurs quickly and in many cases without the user being aware of that damage until long after the event has occurred; by the time the user realises that there has been a crime, his/her passwords will likely be compromised. Criminals also rely on impulse and sensationalism and create an environment of decreased caution; a single careless click could lead to a loss of your computer, your personal information, credit cards, financial records, etc.
Cyber analysts note scammers often exploit high search interest around major events, such as the Winter Olympics, to push fraudulent links higher in search and social feeds. Search traffic surges during major global events, and trending keywords can allow misleading or unverified links to surface alongside legitimate coverage.
Source: International Business Times UK
