Games Organisers Warn Of Scam Posts

Monday, 10 July 2023 at 08:24

Scammers are using the Island Games to try to get cash from supporters.

Organisers of the event in Guernsey are warning people to watch out for fake links on social media.

The posts ask for bank card details to access live streams of the sporting action.

Games director Julia Bowditch is advising people to be alert:

‘We’re reminding people to be careful online because cyber criminals are trying to target our Games.

Fraudsters can be very sophisticated at copying legitimate Facebook pages so that they look entirely plausible, so please be very wary and don’t fall foul of fake sellers. It’s easy to let your guard down when you think you are among friends."

The fake profiles have been reported to Meta, and games organisers are in close contact with Guernsey police.

"The values of the Games are attributes like friendship, cooperation, inspiration, fun and enjoyment – so it’s disappointing that anyone could try to exploit the event for unscrupulous purposes. Unfortunately, Facebook is home to many scams. The official Facebook page, Facebook group, and YouTube channel of the Games organisers, are all called Guernsey2023."

All live steams and live tracking are available for free through the official games website, guernsey2023.gg.

One false page - called ‘Island Games Guernsey 2023’ has more than 3,600 members.

It displays the official logos and clones posts. Islanders who have joined this group are being advised to leave it.