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Dominique Newland of ABC Austin warns viewers of potential scams popping up around March Madness. Newland gets commentary from cybersecurity expert Chris Drake, SVP of iconectiv. Drake highlights the fact that texts from 10-digit numbers with a link or sense of urgency are commonly scams. On the other hand, consumers must opt-in to getting text from a 5-6-digit shortcode and, these numbers have been verified and secured.

CBS San Antonio’s Nicole Caan reports on the ways that scammers use March Madness to target fans. iconectiv SVP, Chris Drake, explains that scammers use fan’s excitement and urgency to get them to click a malicious link without thinking about it. Drake suggests that viewers freeze their credit and back up their phones to protect against financial fraud.

CBS Corpus Christi’s Victoria Balderrama reports on the dangers of NCAA March Madness. Balderrama turns to a fraud mitigation expert, Chris Drake, for tips on what to watch out for as the tournament progresses. The SVP of iconectiv warns views to never download a file from a text message sent by an unknown 10-digit number, as they can infect the device with malware. As a precaution, he suggests sports fans freeze their credit and back up their phone.

Fox Boston reports on the uptick in scams looking to cash in on the urgency surrounding March Madness betting. Chris Drake, SVP of iconectiv, shares his insight on the topic and warns viewers to be wary of 10-digit numbers, as they are easy to spoof. Other red flags to be on the lookout for include misspelled words, attachments/links or any request to be sent money via an untraceable method, such as cryptocurrency, gift cards or payment apps. Drake recommends that sports fans caught in a scam disengage and report the scam to the FTC or local police.

FOX Cleveland’s Brad Hamilton seeks input from iconectiv SVP, George Cray, on how scammers are leveraging March Madness to steal personal information. Cray warns that Ohio is a hotspot for scams, as the state can now legally bet on the tournament. He suggests putting a freeze on your credit and reporting scams to the local police.

Tom Zizka of FOX Houston warns viewers that March Madness is an opportunity for fraudsters to steal fans’ personal information. Scammers will use the NCAA tournament to craft texts around ticket sales or a betting opportunity in hopes to trick receivers into sharing personal information or clicking malicious links. George Cray, VP at iconectiv, offers insight as a telecom security expert and recommends never trusting these texts with sensitive information or clicking links. Zizka explains that another level of protection comes with messages from 5 or 6-digit numbers. Businesses have registered and undergone a vetting process to obtain these numbers, making them much more trustworthy.

An interesting and unexpected theme emerged during the Mobile World Congress 2023 show in Barcelona last week. Beyond the typical and expected exclamations of digital transformation, 5G, everything as a service, devices, robots and virtual worlds, a new realization took center stage. Weaved into the well-scripted threads of one keynote after another was the undeniable fact that the biggest change hitting telecom is a much needed and already emerging cultural shift in how the industry thinks, acts and innovates. The alarms were rung, signaling that the telecommunications industry must innovate—or someone else will.