Fake Streams, Counterfeit Merch & Scams: How Fraudsters Target F1 Fans
Fake Streams, Counterfeit Merch & Scams: How Fraudsters Target F1 Fans
https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/how-fraudsters-target-f1-fans/
Publish Date: 2026-05-25 05:00:00
Source Domain: www.infosecurity-magazine.com
Cybercriminals and fraudsters have dedicated entire ecosystems to scamming and stealing from Formula 1 fans, a new report has warned.
According to the Bitdefender Cybersecurity Grand Prix Fan Threat Index, the growing global digital ecosystem around motorsport makes it an ideal target for scammers.
Fans and Formula 1 teams alike now find themselves in attackers’ crosshairs.
Scams targeting F1 fans range from being sold counterfeit merchandise and fake grand prix tickets, to illegal streaming services and social media scams. All designed to steal personal information, credit card details, generate illicit revenue and distribute malware.
Motorsport fans are also being duped into having their devices unwittingly roped into being part of a notorious botnet of millions of devices used to carry out DDoS attacks, according to Bitdefender.
“Why motorsports? Because things are moving fast and when things are moving fast, people make mistakes,” said Bogdan Botezatu, senior director of threat research at Bitdefender.
The new Bitdefender report is the culmination of a yearlong project analyzing the cybercriminal landscape around Formula 1 weekends.
“We know how cybercriminals operate before, during the races and after them,” said Botezatu during the launch of the report at Maranello, Italy, the headquarters of the Scuderia Ferrari HP Formula 1 team, of which Bitdefender is the official cybersecurity.
Fake F1 Streaming Apps
Like many sports, F1 races are mostly locked behind TV channels or online services which require paid subscriptions.
One of the most common scams deployed by cybercriminals during race weekends is tricking people into downloading applications which they are told will allow them to watch the races for free.
Advertised on social media, Discord and Telegram, these applications require users to manually install APK files outside official app stores.
In some instances, the report explained, scammers use the Clickfix social engineering…
