Data: How the black market ‘weaponises’ licensed brands to target World Cup engagement

While the eyes of the world will be fixated on the on-field battles during the FIFA World Cup, a similarly hard-fought clash is unfolding behind the scenes between licensed operators and the black market.

The brand protection company Corsearch warned that illegal betting platforms are weaponising regulated brand identities through phishing and fake domains to ‘funnel users into the black market’.

It was revealed that betting-related phishing scams often more than double during major tournaments, as the firm said that this figure rose 118% month-on-month during last year’s sporting summer.

This data is particularly concerning for the World Cup, which kicked off yesterday (11 June), given that the tournament is projected to be the biggest betting event in history, with $60bn expected to be wagered.

However, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime last year warned that illegal betting volumes could surpass the legal market based on previous trends, meaning the betting boom expec..