Don't get scammed trying to watch high school football games online

 

MISHAWAKA, Ind. -- When it’s game time, watch out online.  

If you can’t make it to the field to watch your favorite Michiana high school football team in person, local athletic programs and the Better Business Bureau want to make sure you’re not getting cheated.  

“If you aren’t making that trip, that’s really the target audience,” says Mark Polsgrove, Athletic Director for Mishawaka High School.  

Online scams disguised as high school football game live streams are making their way onto social media feeds.  

Mishawaka Athletics is warning parents and fans not to click on links that aren’t affiliated with the Mishawaka Network or IHSAATV.   

“If you’re on either of those two websites, it’ll be free, you won’t have to pay for it, and you won’t get scammed or anything like that,” Polsgrove assures.  

These types of scams run far and wide and can show up differently across multiple platforms.   

When searching ‘Mishawaka football game livestream’ on X, dozens of posts claim to have not just a link for Mishawaka football games, but other schools across Michiana as well.  

They can also show up as Facebook posts or comments claiming to stream any sport that may have a game that day.   

“We’ll tweet out or post on Facebook that there's a game tonight and people will comment below and say ‘click this link below to livestream the game’ and obviously those aren’t real,” Polsgrove says.  

The BBB is also warning of ‘sports streaming scams,’ telling fans to:  

- Check with the school for streaming options   

- Pay attention to suspicious account names and photos   

- Be cautious before clicking    

The real sign you may have fallen for a scam is if the link asks for payment information.  

Polsgrove says this year, all Mishawaka sports livestreams are free.   

So, if you’re a fan of the cavemen, you can score a stream on the Mishawaka Network or IHSAATV.   

“We’re doing our best to provide free streaming for anyone that wants to watch our student-athletes,” assures Polsgrove.  

The BBB also wants to remind everyone to simply research the websites that are asking for your money, and if you do pay for something, they say to use a credit card so you can challenge the payment if you need to.