Safety and scams
Check before you pay
Fake tickets, fake rentals, fake volunteer recruitment: scams follow every major event. Here's how to spot them and where to find the only official links.
The 7 signs of a scam
- Someone sells you a ticket outside the official ticketing site. Tickets can only be bought on tickets.dakar2026.org, and payment is made there by Visa card.
- You're asked to send a Wave, Orange Money or other transfer to an individual. Once sent, the money is almost impossible to recover.
- You're rushed. “Last seats”, “offer valid today only”: pressure is used to stop you from checking.
- You're asked for a deposit or “application fees” before visiting a property or before a contract.
- You're offered a volunteer role or a job in exchange for payment. Volunteer applications go only through the official Jambaar26 platform and are never paid.
- You're asked for a code received by SMS or your mobile money PIN. No one needs to know it, not even “customer service”.
- The price is too low, or too high. Sessions cost 1,000 to 3,000 FCFA; the most expensive seat outside boxes is 40,000 FCFA (category A of the opening ceremony).
Fake ticket: how to spot it
- A real ticket is electronic: it appears on the “My ticket” page of your account on the official ticketing site.
- The ticket image can only be downloaded 7 days before the event, when the barcodes are activated: a “ticket” sent as a photo weeks earlier is suspicious.
- The only transfer allowed by the ticketing site is sending as a gift: the recipient receives an e-mail with a link and a 5-digit code.
- Bookings are final and non-refundable: no one can “refund” you an official ticket in exchange for a payment.
- Any doubt about a ticket you bought? Write to billetterie.support@dakar2026.org.
Fake rental: how to spot it
- No precise address, or refusal of a visit or a video call.
- Deposit or advance requested by transfer before any visit.
- Photos too good to be true, found nowhere else, or identical across several listings: do a reverse image search.
- Price much lower than other accommodation in the same neighbourhood during the Games.
- Prefer a well-known booking platform that holds the payment until you arrive.
The only official links to use
- Official ticketing
The only place to buy a ticket. Payment by Visa card.
- Official ticketing guide
Prices, purchase limits, e-tickets, refund rules.
- Official Games information (olympics.com)
Schedule, venues and news published by the International Olympic Committee.
- Ticketing support (e-mail)
billetterie.support@dakar2026.org — for any question about a purchased ticket.
- Official volunteer platform
Volunteer applications go only through this platform. They are never paid.
Type the address yourself rather than clicking a link received by message. Check that it ends exactly with dakar2026.org or olympics.com.
Send us a listing, we'll help you spot the warning signs
Free. We don't officially verify tickets and we are not an authority: we give you an analysis and point you to the official channels.
Emergency numbers in Senegal
On 9 October 2026, the National Police also warned of a malware campaign targeting mobile payment users: don't install apps received via a link.
Information checked on 13 October 2026. Sources: Guide de la billetterie officielle (tickets.dakar2026.org) · Francs Jeux — Programme officiel de volontaires · Seneweb — La Police nationale alerte sur une arnaque aux services financiers mobiles · Ministère de la Santé — SAMU national (1515) · Senego — Numéros d'urgence au Sénégal. Spotted a mistake? Report it.