��������

As the NCAA basketball championship tournament begins, the Better Business Bureau is warning fans to be cautious of scams. "We are especially vulnerable," said Lechelle Yates of The Better Business Bureau. "So we need to take extra steps so we know who we're dealing with."From ticket scams to betting scams, it is important to protect yourself and your wallet."The best way to protect yourself is to buy directly from the source," said Yates. "Go to the arena where the game is being played �� or NCAA Tickets website �� so you're cutting out the third-party resellers and you're guaranteed to never be dealing with scammers."Many scams are tied to social media advertisements, with sites impersonating well-known brands."When you are looking online for tickets, and you see the listings that take you to third-party sites for tickets, those are third-party resellers," said Yates. "And you want to check those sites out at VerifiedTicketSource.com to make sure they're legitimate third-party sellers."The BBB warns that you should always use credit cards when buying from third-party sites so that you can later dispute those charges if you are scammed. Avoid any peer-to-peer payment systems, like Zelle or Venmo."You do have to be on the lookout," said Yates. "Scammers are out there and they're always trying to find new ways �� and it’s a perfect time because we are all excited and have teams in the tournament."