Digital Fame, Real Threats: Why Athletes Are Prime Targets in the Cyber Age
Contrasts online visibility with real-world consequences to highlight vulnerability.
From Fame to Fraud
On the field, athletes train for contact. Off it, they're often unprepared for the kind that hits their wallets. From professional leagues to NCAA stars, athletes are increasingly being targeted by cyber-enabled scams. As their income rises and digital presence grows, so too does their vulnerability, especially with the growing exposure of NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) deals and the rapid expansion of sports marketing online.
Digital Gold Mines: Why Athletes Are Prime Targets
Athletes, especially high-profile ones, represent a perfect storm of visibility, income, and often limited financial literacy. Their lifestyles and large digital footprints—through social media, fitness apps, endorsement platforms, and public contracts—make them easy to surveil and manipulate. However, even those who are not as prolific on social media or receive as much noteritery are becoming considerably wealthy compared to the average population, making them prime targets.
Digital Gold Mines: Why Athletes Are Prime Targets
Athletes, especially high-profile ones, represent a perfect storm of visibility, income, and often limited financial literacy. Their lifestyles and large digital footprints—through social media, fitness apps, endorsement platforms, and public contracts—make them easy to surveil and manipulate. However, even those who are not as prolific on social media or receive as much noteritery are becoming considerably wealthy compared to the average population, making them prime targets.
• Trust and Team Dynamics: Athletes often rely on small, trusted inner circles. Once scammers infiltrate that circle (as seen in the Shohei Ohtani case), they can steal millions before anyone notices.
• NIL and College Athletes: The NCAA’s shift toward NIL deals opened new doors for exploitation. Young athletes are navigating contracts, branding, and public attention without the legal or cybersecurity infrastructure of professional athletes.
• Emotional Targeting: Cybercriminals often exploit urgency, family, and loyalty themes to manipulate athletes into trusting fraudulent messages or deals.
Case Studies of Financial Exploitation
• Shohei Ohtani and Ippei Mizuhara: In one of the most high-profile cases of financial fraud in sports history, Ohtani's interpreter allegedly stole nearly $17 million through deception and unauthorized wire transfers. The case highlights the significant gap in personal cybersecurity and financial oversight, even among the most prominent figures (ESPN, 2024).
• Dallas Turner (Minnesota Vikings): Turner lost $240,000 in a recent bank scam involving a fake call center. This incident exemplifies how traditional bank fraud techniques are being repurposed to exploit athletes' schedules and sense of urgency (ESPN, 2025).
• College NIL Fraud: In North Carolina, hackers impersonated a college coach to access female athletes' personal and financial accounts. The scam involved phishing and social engineering tactics commonly used in corporate settings, but now targeting unprotected athletes (WRAL, 2025).
• Mike Tyson, Tim Duncan, and Curt Schilling: Each has lost millions to scam artists posing as investment managers, business partners, or friends. These legacy cases demonstrate that exploitation isn't new, but it is being digitized and accelerated in the NIL era (Bleacher Report).
• Ponzi Scams Tied to Athletes: Several athletes have unknowingly endorsed or invested in fraudulent loan schemes targeting peers in the sports community (Investor Lawyers).
| Year | Athlete | Sport | Attack Method | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Ray Lewis (NFL) | Football | Ponzi scheme via fraudulent investment platform (Triton Financial) | $1.5 million+ |
| 2012 | Fred Taylor (NFL) | Football | Ponzi scheme via web-based fake bond offerings | Almost $3 million+ |
| 2012 | Santana Moss (NFL) | Football | Ponzi scheme with falsified online documents and statements | $4.85 million |
| 2017 | Mike Tyson (Boxing) | Boxing | Crypto and real estate scams using spoofed websites and phishing | N/A |
| 2018 | Curt Schilling (MLB) | Baseball | Misrepresented tech venture over email and digital documents | $50 million+ |
| 2023 | Dwight Howard (NBA) | Basketball | Fake WNBA team ownership with falsified digital agreements and filings | $7 million |
| 2024 | Shohei Ohtani (MLB) | Baseball | Internal fraud via unauthorized wire transfers by trusted digital proxy | $17 million |
| 2025 | Dallas Turner (NFL) | Football | Spoofed call center social engineering and real-time phishing | $240,000 |
| 2025 | Terrelle Pryor (NFL) | Football | Fraudulent business scheme presented over social media | N/A |
NIL and the New Era of Exploitation
The rise of NIL has introduced complex contracts, high-profile sponsorships, and financial pressures into the lives of athletes as young as 18 years old. While it democratizes income potential, it also creates opportunities for:
• Phishing and Deepfakes: Fake agents, contracts, and brand deals that use social engineering and AI-generated content.
• Fine Print Manipulation: Athletes lured by flashy NIL offers, only to find themselves trapped in exploitative deals due to vague or predatory clauses (Bloomberg Law).
• Personal Branding Exploits: Platforms that monetize athletes' likeness often share data across networks—ripe for scraping, cloning, and re-use by scammers.
• Overpromising Collectives: Some NIL collectives have been exposed for failing to deliver promised payments or locking athletes into restrictive agreements with limited exit options (USA Today).
| Victim (or School) | Sport/Role | Year | Scam Type | Method/Vector | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jaden Rashada | NCAA Football | 2023 | NIL Contract Dispute | Misleading contractual promises | NIL deal collapse caused public fallout |
| Female Athletes (Various) | NCAA | 2022 | Instagram impersonation | Fake DMs offering NIL deals | Ambassador scams via social media |
| NCAA Coach Hack | NCAA Football | 2023 | Email compromise | Phishing from spoofed coach account | Players tricked into submitting info |
| MAC Athlete (Unnamed) | NCAA Basketball | 2025 | Crypto/NFT rug pull | NIL deal tied to collapsing crypto coin | Promoted coin dumped post-launch |
How the Cyber Domain Has Changed the Game
In the past, scams often required face-to-face interaction or lengthy cons. Today, a few well-placed phishing emails or a fake LinkedIn message can cost athletes millions of dollars. Key factors include:
• Expanded Attack Surface: From mobile banking apps to IoT-enabled training devices, athletes’ digital footprints grow with every endorsement or travel event.
• Social Engineering & AI: Deepfakes and impersonation attacks make it harder for athletes to verify who they're interacting with.
• Cyber Exposure from NIL Portals: Online NIL marketplaces often store sensitive contract, tax, and identity data, making them targets.
• Absence of Cyber Hygiene Training: Most athletes receive media coaching, but not cybersecurity briefings. College programs vary significantly in their support for athletes' digital literacy.
Strategic Response: What Needs to Change
For leagues, unions, and players, the playbook must evolve:
• Mandatory Cybersecurity Training: Just like physical therapy and PR training, cyber hygiene must be integrated into athlete development programs.
• Digital Agent Vetting: NIL platforms and leagues should provide lists of verified agents and brands.
• Proactive CTI (Cyber Threat Intelligence): Monitoring for fake accounts, breached data, and scam domains tied to athlete names.
• Incident Response Protocols: Financial losses from scams should be treated with the same urgency as on-field injuries.
• Multi-Level Monitoring: Colleges and pro teams should assign cybersecurity liaisons to monitor the cyber posture of athletes and their inner circles.
How VCC Can Help
Victory Cybersecurity Consulting (VCC) provides:
• Athlete-Focused Cyber Risk Assessments
• Informed CTI Techniques to help Monitor Athlete Names, Brands, and Affiliations
• Training for Unions, Leagues, and NIL Collectives
• Consultation on Safe Digital Practices During Major Career Milestones (e.g., Draft, Contract Signing)
• Custom Cyber Safety Briefs Tailored to Team Travel, NIL Negotiations, and Agent Interactions
Conclusion: Protecting the Brand Starts with Protecting the Person
As athletes continue to rise as entrepreneurs and influencers, they must also evolve into digital citizens capable of protecting their reputations and financial futures. The cyber domain has become the new playing field—and right now, the scammers are winning. Strategic support, education, and intelligence must become standard across every level of sport.
Stay tuned for our next post: “Cyber Safety Briefs for Athletes: A Practical Guide to Scams, Social Engineering, and Survival.”
Additional Sources
· ESPN. (2025). Ippei Mizuhara sentenced to 57 months for stealing from Shohei Ohtani. https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/43721275/mizuhara-sentenced-57-months-prison-ohtani-fraud
· NBA. (2018). Tim Duncan settles lawsuit against ex-financial adviser. http://nba.com/news/tim-duncan-settles-lawsuit-against-ex-financial-adviser
· Forbes. (2019). New Orleans Saints Quarterback Drew Brees Wins $6.1 Million In Jeweler Lawsuit. https://www.forbes.com/sites/robertanaas/2019/06/25/new-orleans-saints-quarterback-drew-brees-wins-6-1-million-in-jeweler-lawsuit/
· Fortune. (2025). Scammer who cheated ex-NBA star Dwight Howard out of $7 million in fake bid for WNBA team gets 12 years in prison. https://fortune.com/2025/04/04/calvin-darden-jr-dwight-howard-scam-12-years-prison/
· CBS Sports. (2024). Florida is under NCAA investigation a year after a failed NIL deal with QB signee Jaden Rashada. https://www.cbsnews.com/miami/news/florida-is-under-ncaa-investigation-a-year-after-a-failed-nil-deal-with-qb-signee-jaden-rashada/
· NBC News. (2022). ‘There’s no rules. It’s crazy’: New money in NCAA recruiting leaves elite athletes ripe for exploitation. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/star-high-school-athletes-can-now-profit-nil-deals-rcna51075
· PCMag. (2025). College Football Coach Indicted for Stealing Private Data of 150K Athletes. https://www.pcmag.com/news/college-football-coach-indicted-for-stealing-private-data-of-150k-athletes
· On3 NIL. (2023). State of College Sports: How would an employee model impact college athletics? https://www.on3.com/nil/news/state-of-college-sports-how-would-an-employee-model-impact-college-athletics/
· USA Today Sports Salaries Database. https://sports.usatoday.com/ncaa/salaries/
· Front Office Sports. (2022). One Year of NIL: Bridging the Remaining Gaps in Education. https://frontofficesports.com/nil-education-gaps/
· CISA. (2021). Avoiding Social Engineering and Phishing Attacks https://www.cisa.gov/news-events/news/avoiding-social-engineering-and-phishing-attacks
· Chronicle of Higher Ed. (2023). Threats to College Cybersecurity. https://www.chronicle.com/events/virtual/threats-to-college-cybersecurity