In a new guide, Human Trafficking & Scam Detection Guide: World Cup 2026, The Knoble, a nonprofit network that brings together financial institutions, law enforcement, and industry practitioners to combat human trafficking and financial exploitation, with support from Feedzai, a global technology company that helps banks detect and prevent financial crime, outline how criminals exploit large-scale events, from fake ticket sales and rental scams to human trafficking. The guide also details how financial institutions can detect, prevent, and respond to these threats, with additional guidance on how institutions can support and protect customers.
While these crimes occur year-round, major events can aggregate and localize both scam activity and enforcement efforts. Around this year's Super Bowl, coordinated anti-trafficking operations led to nearly 30 arrests and the identification of more than 70 victims. At the same time, financial institutions have reported increases of up to 80% in scam incidents surrounding major event ticket releases, as demand and urgency peak.
"Major events like the World Cup bring people together, but they also create urgency, excitement, and distraction, which scammers and criminal networks exploit," said Ian Mitchell, Founder of The Knoble. "The goal of this guide is to raise awareness of what's happening behind the scenes and how financial institutions play an important role in detecting these crimes."
Scams Are Just the Starting Point
While many consumers are familiar with ticket fraud and travel scams, the guide highlights a more complex reality: these schemes often connect to broader forms of human exploitation.
Criminal networks use scams not only to steal money, but also to move funds quickly across accounts or recruit individuals into activities such as money mule schemes, where victims unknowingly transfer illicit funds. In more severe cases, financial patterns tied to travel, lodging, and payments can signal human trafficking operations.
This convergence of fraud and exploitation underscores the need for a more integrated approach to detection and prevention. The guide is designed to support real-time detection and investigations, helping financial institutions identify suspicious activity, share intelligence, and work with law enforcement to disrupt criminal networks.
"Financial safety is human safety," said Nuno Sebastião, CEO and Co-Founder of Feedzai. "By analyzing the patterns of how money moves and understanding signals of criminal activity and exploitation, the better the chances are that we can prevent real harm from being done."
The Critical Role of Banks and Credit Unions
Financial institutions can see patterns across accounts, payment types, and geographies-giving them a unique ability to detect suspicious activity. According to the guide, red flags may include:
- Unusual spikes in peer-to-peer payments or first-time transfers
- Clusters of hotel bookings and late-night ATM withdrawals
- Accounts rapidly receiving and moving funds with little personal spending
- Multiple accounts linked by shared contact details or devices
By connecting signals across systems, banks can identify coordinated activity that would otherwise go unnoticed, making them a critical line of defense against both scams and exploitation.
The guide underscores that prevention also depends on awareness. Many scams tied to major events rely on urgency-limited ticket availability, last-minute travel deals, or "exclusive" access offers.
Drawing on these insights, consumers should be cautious of common red flags, including requests for payment via peer-to-peer apps from unknown individuals, deals that seem unusually urgent or underpriced, first-time requests to send money or purchase cryptocurrency, and messages impersonating travel providers, event organizers, or officials. While financial institutions are strengthening detection, informed consumers remain a critical line of defense.
A Shared Responsibility to Protect Trust
At a broader level, the guide reinforces the reality that financial crime is a coordinated, global problem that requires collaboration among financial institutions, law enforcement, and industry networks.
Today, many organizations still operate with fragmented visibility, making it harder to detect coordinated criminal activity. Efforts like this guide aim to close those gaps, equipping institutions with shared intelligence and practical guidance to act earlier and more effectively.
Feedzai's work with financial institutions focuses on helping them detect these risks in real time, connecting data across channels to identify patterns that would otherwise go unnoticed and, ultimately, protecting both consumers and the financial system.
"Trust is what keeps the financial system moving," added Sebastião. "Protecting people from scams and exploitation is fundamental to maintaining that trust."
The Human Trafficking & Scam Detection Guide: World Cup 2026 and all supporting resources are available in The Knoble Member Center. Membership is free to access the guide: https://theknoble.com/join-the-fight.
About The Knoble
Founded in 2019 by Ian Mitchell, we are a non-profit network of Financial Institutions, law enforcement, financial services, and NGOs passionate about fighting Human Crime-scams, human trafficking, child exploitation, and elder financial exploitation. Through thought-leadership projects and industry-leading initiatives, we are a network of professionals dedicated to making a difference. Join the fight today at The Knoble.com, and receive free access to The Knoble Network Member Center, where like-minded professionals join to connect and participate in roundtables, forums, and more. Reach out to dave@theknoble.com if your organization is interested in becoming a corporate member or sponsoring an initiative.
About Feedzai
Feedzai powers trust in global finance. We protect people and payments using AI-native solutions to detect and prevent financial crime, fraud, and money laundering in real time, so money moves safely. Every year, the world's leading banks, payment networks, and acquirers use Feedzai's technology to safeguard more than one billion consumers and $9 trillion in payment volume.
Learn more at feedzai.com.
Media Contact:
Inkhouse for Feedzai
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