(Feel free to download this graphic and share it with your followers)
They say imitation is the best form of flattery. And the NFHS Network has a lot of imitators! Throughout the season, you will see that there are many fake accounts out there claiming to be the NFHS Network. Here are a few tips and best practices when it comes to dealing with these types of situations.
It is important to remember that ALL SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING from the NFHS Network will come from the official NFHS Network accounts with a verified blue checkmark. If you see an account that is NOT the NFHS Network promoting live streams of their games, and the link goes somewhere other than to the NFHS Network, it is almost certainly a scam – especially if it’s a Twitter account whose handle looks suspicious (something along the lines of @highschoolstreaming46592839, @footballlive142972, etc.).
On Facebook, these fake sites will create fake accounts (sometimes using imagery from the NFHS Network) and schedule hundreds of Facebook events and invite schools to join or cohost the event. This is not the NFHS Network. This is not a strategy of the NFHS Network.
On Twitter, a simple search for “high school live stream” will deliver dozens of these fake posts. If a link in a tweet about streaming high school sports does not contain “nfhsnetwork.com,” as the domain, it is not affiliated with the NFHS Network.
A good rule of thumb when trying to identify a fake account is this: if they’re linking to a site other than the NFHS Network, it’s most likely fake.
Unfortunately, there isn’t much we can do about this problem. The fake sites are NOT stealing and streaming the NFHS Network video feeds, they’re just scraping the scheduled events and marketing them as if they will have them, in hopes of scamming someone into entering their payment info. The NFHS Network reports these accounts, but even if they get taken down, two more replace them. You can help by following verified NFHS Network accounts and reposting posts directly from them. Please help us spread the word that the only place to watch their events is at nfhsnetwork.com and only share information from official NFHS Network accounts: @NFHSNetwork.
When you see these types of suspicious accounts, please report them right away. We would really appreciate it if you would first report the account on whatever platform it’s on, then send the fake account’s information over to your account manager. Our team will file a claim on behalf of the Network. You may also directly message us on social media whenever these types of questions come up.