Protect yourself from scams at NFL Draft in Green Bay

COVERAGE ALL WEEK LONG FROM GREEN BAY. WITH THE EXCITEMENT SURROUNDING THE BIG GREEN BAY EVENT, EXPERTS ARE WARNING FANS TO WATCH OUT FOR SOME SCAMMERS. UNFORTUNATELY, WE DO HAVE TO TALK ABOUT THIS. JOINING US LIVE NOW TO DISCUSS ALL OF THIS IS MICHELLE RYAN WITH THE WISCONSIN DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, TRADE AND CONSUMER PROTECTION. MICHELLE, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SPENDING SOME TIME WITH US. LET’S GO AHEAD AND TALK ABOUT HOW CONSUMERS KNOW WHETHER AN ENTRY TICKET THAT IS BEING SOLD IS LEGITIMATE. I FEEL LIKE THIS IS TOP OF MIND FOR A LOT OF PEOPLE. THIS IS TOP OF MIND AND IT’S SO IMPORTANT THAT CONSUMERS REALIZE THEY DO NOT HAVE TO PAY IN ORDER TO RECEIVE GENERAL ADMISSION INTO THE DRAFT CAMPUS AREA, INCLUDING THE FREE DRAFT EXPERIENCE, FAN FESTIVAL. THIS DOES NOT REQUIRE A TICKET, BUT WE KNOW SCAMMERS ARE GOING TO TRY AND TAKE ADVANTAGE OF CONSUMERS, SO WE WANT TO BE SURE THAT EVERYONE IS FULLY AWARE THAT THE BEST THING FANS CAN DO IS TO DOWNLOAD THE NFL ONE PASS APP AND REGISTER IN ADVANCE TO GAIN ACCESS TO EVENT INFORMATION AND USE THAT AS THEIR RELIABLE RESOURCE FOR INFORMATION THAT IS REAL AND LEGITIMATE. AND THAT WAY THEY’LL BE VERY FAMILIAR WITH WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN THEY APPEAR AT THE DRAFT. MORE INFORMATION ON THAT NFL DRAFT APP ON OUR WEBSITE AS WELL. IT’S SOMETHING WE’VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT FOR QUITE SOME TIME. WHAT ABOUT LODGING? WHAT SHOULD CUSTOMERS DO TO CONSUMERS RATHER TO PROTECT THEMSELVES WHEN BOOKING SHORT TERM RENTAL LODGING? YEAH, IF CONSUMERS HAVEN’T YET BOOKED THEIR LODGING, THEY’RE PROBABLY LOOKING FOR THAT LAST MINUTE DEAL AND SCAMMERS ARE GOING TO TRY AND PROVIDE THOSE TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE DISCOUNTS OR OPPORTUNITIES FOR CONSUMERS. SO ALWAYS CHECK OUT YOUR LODGING OPTION, VERIFY THAT IT’S LEGITIMATE. IF YOU ARE LOOKING AT USING AN APP LIKE A SHORT TERM HOUSING OPPORTUNITY, LIKE AN AIRBNB OR VRBO, YOU NEED TO CONFIRM THAT THE LISTING YOU’RE LOOKING AT IS LEGITIMATE. IT’S A REAL LOCATION AND THAT THE SCAMMER TRULY HAS CONTROL OF IT. SO IF YOU’RE ASKED TO GO TO A DIFFERENT PLATFORM TO COMMUNICATE OR PAY BY CRYPTOCURRENCY OR GIFT CARD, THOSE NEED TO BE RED FLAGS FOR CONSUMERS. IN ADDITION, IF YOU’VE RESERVED AND YOU GET THAT PROPERTY ADDRESS, VERIFY THAT IT’S LEGITIMATE. USE A MAP APP TO SEE THAT THERE IS ACTUALLY A RESIDENCE OR A HOME THERE, OR SOMETHING THAT YOU CAN SLEEP IN AT NIGHT, AS OPPOSED TO IT BEING A PARKING LOT. BECAUSE SCAMMERS MAY JUST TRY AND USE FAKE PHOTOS IN ORDER TO IMPERSONATE LEGITIMATE LISTINGS. YEAH, YOU DON’T WANT TO GET THERE AND THEN NOT HAVE A PLACE TO STAY AND SPEND DOUBLE. WHAT ABOUT FAKE WEBSITES LEADING UP TO THE DRAFT? THAT’S ALSO A RED FLAG THERE, TOO. IT SURE IS, BECAUSE SCAMMERS TRY AND IMPERSONATE WEBSITES ALL THE TIME, NOT JUST DURING THE DRAFT. AND WE’VE SEEN THIS HAPPEN BEFORE TO THE PACKERS AND HAVE WORKED WITH THEM. AND WE WANT TO BE SURE THAT CONSUMERS ARE GETTING REAL MERCHANDISE DELIVERED TO THEIR HOME, NOT COUNTERFEIT GOODS OR JUST SPENDING MONEY ON SOMETHING THAT NEVER SHOWS UP. SO DO VERIFICATIONS. DON’T CLICK ON LINKS AND TEXT MESSAGES, EMAILS OR SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS THAT COULD BE REDIRECTING YOU TO THAT. SCAMMERS FAKE WEBSITE. INSTEAD, TYPE IN THAT WEB, ADDRESS YOURSELF AND THEN PAY ATTENTION WHEN YOU’RE NAVIGATING THAT WEBSITE THAT YOU SEE THAT THERE AREN’T MISSPELLINGS AND TYPOS ON THERE. THOSE DEEP DISCOUNTS, AS WELL AS THAT OPPORTUNITY WHERE YOU’RE ENTERING YOUR CREDIT CARD INFORMATION THAT IT’S ON A SECURE SITE. SO THAT WAY YOU AREN’T GIVING THE SCAMMER YOUR INFORMATION. ALL RIGHT, MICHELLE, VERY IMPORTANT POINTS. I KNOW IT’S KIND OF REDUNDANT WHEN WE KEEP TALKING ABOUT THIS, BUT PEOPLE DO UNFORTUNATELY GET SCAMMED. THEY DO FALL VICTIM TO ALL THESE TYPES OF SCAMS. AND SO IT’S IMPORTANT TO REMIND ALL OF US THAT ARE GOING TO THE DRAFT TO TO KEEP THAT IN MIND AND TO BE SAFE.