BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) – As the world’s eyes are on Paris for the Olympic Games, there are some long-running scams the Better Business Bureau wants athletic fans to be aware of.
Carl Bates is the President and CEO of the Better Business Bureau in Birmingham. He said scammers like to target people through faux merchandise ads or reaching out about job opportunities.
He said ripped-off gear is commonplace during the games – whether you are a customer or the business selling it -- despite regulations involving fair use of logos, trademarks and copyrights.
“Make sure you’re getting real merchandise that’s licensed by the IOSC and not the fake stuff,” Bates said. "It happens especially as more of our athletes become medal winners.”
A scam from previous years is an email that goes out to college students saying they can get paid for driving around with an Olympic sticker on their vehicles. With this scam, Bates said students put the sticker on their cars and do not receive the promised payment.
Another issue surrounding the summer games Bates said is counterfeit streaming services and merchandise.
“So much of that is really just to get your credit card information so they can get your personal information and then maybe not right away but a month from now charges start to show up,” Bates said.
The International Committee and U.S. Olympic Committee are very specific about what can and cannot be used as far as their trademarks, Bates said.
“You have to request permission before you use any of that on anything – social media, merchandise – a lot of companies want to have a sales promotion even internally with their company,” Bates said. “That’s not legal and they will send you a cease-and-desist notice.”
There is a process to do this on their website. You can find out more information on the BBB's website.