'Pinay Gold Medalist' Zyan Cabrera Videos Are Stealing Your Social Media Passwords – Here's How
Events like Olympics serves as the breeding ground for phishing scammers
Alongside the excitement of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, opportunists are misusing the event online, and it has nothing to do with sports.
Cybersecurity groups are warning users about a phishing scam spreading across Facebook, Instagram, Telegram, and TikTok, targeting users with fake videos allegedly featuring a 'Pinay gold medalist' named Zyan Cabrera.
The videos do not exist. The risk, however, is very real.
A Viral Hook Built on a Scam
The posts follow a familiar formula often seen on the internet. Users see sensational captions promising a 'viral scandal or a leaked video' often paired with blurred images of a young woman.
The attached name is Zyan Cabrera, a Filipino Olympic athlete who was caught in a compromising situation.
According to reports flagged by Philippine community pages, cybersecurity blogs, and social media users, the entire narrative is fabricated. Zyan Cabrera is not an Olympian and has no connection to the Games, and is not involved in any scandal.
Her name (not yet verified) and photos are being used without consent as bait.
Who Zyan Cabrera Actually Is
Cabrera is a real person, though her official name has not yet been verified; she is a young Filipino social media creator reportedly based in Manila.
Online, she also uses usernames like Jerriel Cry4zee. According to her profile, she uploads content such as dance videos, AI-edited videos, and trend-driven posts typical of Gen Z creators. She has a modest but visible online following, mostly on TikTok and Facebook. There is no public record of her involvement in sports or any Olympic competition.
Cabrera appears to be an unwitting victim whose public images were repurposed to make the scam appear credible.
In fact, there are social media profiles in her name that include fake videos of her, with a link embedded in the post.
How the Scam Works
Experts say the mechanics of the scheme are classic phishing, updated for a viral era.
First, scammers seed posts in high-traffic areas, such as Olympic-related comment sections, Facebook groups, Instagram replies, or private message chains. Some are shared by compromised accounts, making them appear more trustworthy.
When users click the link, they are taken off-platform to a website claiming to host the 'full video.' From there, they are asked to log in, confirm their age, or download a file described as a video player.
According to cybersecurity firm KnowBe4, this is the critical moment. 'Phishing scams rely on fake websites and spoofed pages to get people to voluntarily hand over sensitive information,' the company explains, noting that the vast majority of data breaches begin this way.
Once credentials are entered, attackers gain control of the account. In other cases, malware is installed, allowing broader access to personal data or devices.
Why the Olympics Are a Perfect Cover
Cybersecurity analysts say the timing is no coincidence. Major global events reliably produce spikes in online searches, emotional engagement, and rapid sharing — ideal conditions for scams.
'Every Olympic Games brings a wave of fraud,' cybersecurity firm ZeroFox warned in its 2026 Winter Olympics threat report, citing fake tickets, travel deals, livestream links, and impersonation scams.
By associating their posts with Olympic keywords and trending conversations, scammers increase the likelihood that users click before questioning the source.
A Pattern Seen Before
This is not the first time fake celebrity or athlete scandals have been used as a phishing tool. During the Paris 2024 Olympics, cybersecurity firms documented waves of fake livestreams and ticket scams. Similar tactics appeared during Tokyo 2021 and PyeongChang 2018.
Outside of sports, scammers have used fabricated 'leaked videos' involving celebrities like Taylor Swift, Scarlett Johansson, and Tom Hanks to drive traffic to malicious sites, costing victims millions globally.
As Olympic coverage continues to dominate social media and users' feeds, similar scams are likely to follow. Hence, being careful and cautious is the solution.
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