MyBroadband reports that football fans making plans for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa are likely to experience a surge in internet crime targeting online ticket and hotel shoppers, according to security experts.

Anti-virus company, Symantec’s internet security analysts have discovered a ‘botnet’ – an illicit network of computers hijacked by internet hackers – set up to snag personal details from World Cup shoppers. People searching online for World Cup tickets; lodging; and transportation are likely to encounter ‘phishing’ sites (fake merchants set up to mine credit card and bank details) and receive spam emails designed to lure them into revealing their personal information.

South Africa faces the threat of internet insecurity this year as a result of hosting the football tournament, as well as because of a leap in broadband internet use.