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You used to have to go to the stadium to root for your local high school athletic team or your favorite college or professional sports team. However, online streams now make it possible for people to watch games from the comfort of their living rooms. Unfortunately, the scammers have followed. By sharing fake streaming links on social media, scammers aim to capture personal information, including credit card and Social Security numbers, as fans get tricked into logging in to watch their team play.
How the scam works
You want to watch the local high school's football game, or your niece's college softball team is playing in a tournament out of state. You search online to find a link where the game might be streamed, and sure enough, a fan has shared a link on social media where you can watch for free! It's almost time for the game to start, so you eagerly click the link. The next screen asks you to sign up for the streaming service, so you enter your name and email... and then you get asked for a credit card number and potentially more sensitive information. Are you seeing red flags yet?
These scammers infiltrate social media with links to fake streams. The posts often will tag the high schools, colleges, or professional teams involved to make the post appear legitimate. The scammers hope the would-be viewer inputs their information and pays to watch the event. The consumer doesn’t get to watch the game because the scammer has not set up a stream. Instead, whatever data they entered may be compromised.
As a new school year begins, Better Business Bureau® reminds consumers to do their research when looking to watch a high school, college, or professional sporting event online.
“Fans need to remain diligent in where and how they find the stream of a high school contest,” Matt Troha, an Assistant Executive Director with the Illinois High School Association, told BBB.
Troha said fake streaming links posted to social media lure unsuspecting fans.
“On Twitter especially, take notice of account names and photos, which often seem random, and look at their follower and following numbers,” Troha said. “Low follower counts indicate the account likely was just started. Look at the content of their posts as most are nothing but tweets to stream games.”
Last year, state associations that oversee high school athletics in New Mexico, Indiana, and North Carolina issued warnings about the fake streams.
“If you want to watch a specific school’s game online, check with the school to see if it has streaming options available,” said Michelle L. Corey, president and CEO of the BBB office in St. Louis. “While many schools do offer live streaming now, there are others who do not.”
BBB Scam Tracker has received reports of fake sports streaming links. One consumer shared, "The link was posted under a high school football post claiming we could watch the high school football games for free. Then it asked for credit card information in order to charge $1. After putting in credit card information, I was not able to watch any football games...my trial was for 24hours and if I didn't cancel, it would charge my credit card $60 per month."
BBB offers these tips on how to stay safe online:
- Research any website before paying any money or entering any information. Check the company’s BBB Business Profile at BBB.org.
- Pay by credit card whenever possible if you need to challenge the payment.
- Check a site’s security settings. If the site is secure, its URL (web address) should start with “HTTPS://.” You may also see a picture of a small closed lock in the screen's lower right-hand corner.
- Confirm the site you're visiting is legitimate. Scammers can create fake, realistic websites to trick consumers into thinking they're on the right webpage. Read BBB's tips on identifying a fake website.
- Be cautious before clicking links included in social media posts, unsolicited text messages, or emails. Clicking on unfamiliar links can place you at risk for malware or identity theft.
- See more online shopping tips.
More information
Check out BBB's Social Media Scams page for more examples of scammers that lurk on social channels. Read more about streaming service scams.
The BBB in St. Louis contributed this article.
