The NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament is much more exciting with San Diego State University clinching the 5th seed and you may be looking to fill out your bracket if you haven’t already.
If you’re doing so online, you should be wary of scammers lurking on the sidelines.
SDSU's Aztecs will go up against No. 12 seed Charlotte in the first round on Thursday. The matchup is one of 32 picks to be made by that date, and there are numerous online sites ready to help you keep track of your bracket and any pools you may be a part of.
Heads up!
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Online scammers are looking to get into the action as well, according to the Better Business Bureau. They say the foul may come in as a link by text or by social media.
NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament
“People believe that they’re getting it from someone that they know, they click on the link, and they put in their personal information, and they get malware on their computer, or, even worse, they take banking information from you,” said Alma Galvan, a BBB regional marketing manager.
If this happens, you will experience a whole different type of madness, the unpleasant type, which is why, according to the BBB, verification is the name of the game.
“It doesn’t take more than two minutes to actually find out that it is someone you know that wants you to join their bracket and it’s not from someone trying to scam you,” Galvan said.
Should the Aztecs make a deep run into the tournament, you might be inclined to score some tickets to catch them in action. Remember, think twice about buying tickets from random resellers online, and you should probably stick to reputable sites
You should also use your credit card, since they tend to afford more consumer protections should you throw a brick with your purchase.
This way, all the nerve-racking action stays on the court and away from your personal banking information.
