Phishers target LA Olympics

Scammers are sending personalized emails to people who signed up for Los Angeles 2028 Olympic tickets, trying to steal logins, card details, and other personal data. (nationaltoday.com) The fake messages are timed to the real ticket process. Los Angeles 2028 organizers opened registration for the first ticket draw on January 14, closed it on March 18, and told fans they would get time-slot emails between March 31 and April 7. (usopc.org) That matters because the real sales window is live now. Los Angeles 2028 said global Olympic ticket sales began on April 9 and Drop 1 runs through April 19 for fans who were randomly assigned purchase windows. (la28.org) The official system starts at Tickets dot LA28 dot org, where the first draw is now closed and registered users can log in or wait for future drops. The site says fans who are selected get an email confirming a time slot and can buy up to 12 tickets during that window. (tickets.la28.org) Olympic ticketing is especially easy to imitate because it already relies on email, deadlines, and one-time access windows. Olympics.com says Los Angeles 2028 uses a four-step process — registration, draw, time slot, drop — with selected users notified by email before sales open. (olympics.com) The scale is large enough to make those emails valuable bait. Olympics.com reported more than 5 million fans from 197 countries and territories registered during the first draw period. (olympics.com) Los Angeles 2028 has also told fans that reminder emails go out 24 hours and 3 hours before a purchase window begins, and that those emails include a link to the ticket platform. A phishing email that copies that format would look familiar to anyone waiting for a slot. (la28.org) The organizers are trying to narrow the list of legitimate channels as sales expand. Los Angeles 2028 said on March 30 that Ticketmaster and Sports Illustrated Tickets will be its verified resale platforms when resale opens in 2027. (smdp.com) For now, the safest route is the narrow one: start from the official Los Angeles 2028 ticket site, not from an email link, and treat any message pushing urgent payment or account verification as suspicious until it matches the official process. (tickets.la28.org)