Local high school athletic director warns of livestream scams ahead of big playoff game

PITTSBURGH — There’s a big playoff matchup Tuesday night between the Gateway Gators and Laurel Highlands Mustangs, but fans watching the game at home need to beware of online scams.

The Gateway High School basketball team is playing in the PIAA quarterfinals against Laurel Highlands.

Fans can livestream the game, which has become a very popular way of viewing games during the pandemic.

“One of the things we are very good at now is making events accessible for people who can’t be there, because for so long ... there wasn’t an option or a limited option,” said Gateway athletic director Don Holl.

However, Holl said scammers are trying to target fans tuning in for tonight’s game with fake streaming links on social media, and he said it’s not the first time.

“We became aware of it during the first round WPIAL game. We were hosting it, so we knew who was doing broadcasting and streaming, and there was this random link we saw on Twitter,” said Holl.

We learned from the Better Business Bureau that other schools are also being affected by this type of scam.

“This is something that is not only happening locally, but across the country regarding sporting events and scammers capitalizing on the pandemic and increase ability to live stream,” said Caitlin Driscoll, a public relations director with the BBB in western Pennsylvania.

Here’s how to spot the fake links from the real ones:

“One sign a stream may be a scam is if the link only provides access to video or the stream, and if someone needs to enter in their personal information or requiring that payment information in order to proceed,” said Driscoll.

The BBB said that fake social media accounts promoting a stream will often tag the school to appear legitimate.

Instead, the best thing to do is check directly with your school district on streaming options to safety watch your team play.

LINK TO LIVE STREAM GATEWAY AND LAUREL HIGHLANDS: https://wpxi.tv/34JGW4u

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