Local

Better Business Bureau warns about fake sports streams circulating on social media

TULSA, Okla. — Friday Night Football is big in Green Country. And due to the COVID-19 pandemic and attendance restrictions, there are now live streams, so you can watch your favorite high school team from your couch. But the Better Business Bureau (BBB) is warning that scammers are taking advantage of those streams.

While most attendance restrictions are lifted and you can attend games in person, some districts are still streaming games. It’s great if you want to watch a niece or nephew play out-of-town or out-of-state, but the BBB warned that scammers are sharing fake links to get your personal information.

“What we’re seeing is social media is popping up with random links, ‘Hey you can watch xyz high school versus this, click on this link here’,” said Amie Mitchell with the BBB.

Mitchell said to avoid links that ask for too much information.

“Oh cool get on social media, see a link to that game, click on it, it might ask for information, maybe too much information, like name, address, social security number, student ID log in, whatever that might be, stay away from that,” she said.

She also said to avoid random links you find circulating on social media, like Facebook and Twitter, that claim they’re where you can stream the game. Do your research with the school district.

“If you don’t want to call the school and get the link, and talk to the athletic director, follow the school on social media, if they’re posting the link it should be legitimate,” Mitchell said.

The BBB said last year the the state associations that oversee high school sports in New Mexico, Indiana and North Carolina issued warnings about this. The BBB warned that these scammers fill social media with links to fake streams, and they’ll often tag the schools to make the post look legitimate.

Don’t fall for it.

When in doubt, call the school’s athletic director and ask for the link.

The BBB said to research any website before you enter your information. You can check the company’s business profile here.

You can also check a website’s security settings. The BBB said if a website is secure, it’s web address should start with ‘https’. You may also see a picture of a small closed lock.

The BBB also said the pay with credit card whenever possible, in case you need to challenge a payment.

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