RALEIGH, N.C. – It's the time of year where bracket challenges, competitions and bragging rights are in full swing for the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament.


What You Need To Know

  • The Better Business Bureau is warning basketball fans to be on the lookout for scammers trying to take advantage of March Madness

  • Scammers often take images and likeness from legitimate websites to trick people into clicking on malicious links and stealing personal information

  • The BBB shares tips below to avoid becoming a victim and how to report a crime

In all the March Madness excitement, the Better Business Bureau is warning fans to be on the lookout for scammers trying to take advantage of basketball enthusiasts. 

Nick Hill with the BBB says scammers will often steal the image and likeness of legitimate websites to trick people into sharing their personal information or credit card number.

“Typically, a legitimate organization is not going to ask for too much personal information. Chances are, if they're asking for more than you would expect, that's going to be a red flag,” Hill said.

If you decide to enter some sort of payment information, Hill advises people to pay with a credit card.

“Chances are a credit card company is going to have your back,” he said.

One easy way to double check a website or app is to look it up on bbb.org as well as searching for it online. That way, you can see if there’s any history of complaints against that business.

“Check the reviews and see what other consumers are saying so you can get a good idea if they are legitimate or if they're possibly a scam,” he said.

If you do fall victim to a scam, it’s important to report it to law enforcement, the state attorney general and the BBB scam tracker to warn others.

“[You can] possibly put a freeze on what sort of payment information you provided, whether that's your bank account or your credit card in case a scammer has gained access to that information,” Hill said.