{"id":4139,"date":"2026-03-11T16:06:19","date_gmt":"2026-03-11T23:06:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogschapman.wpenginepowered.com\/information-systems\/2026\/03\/11\/march-madness-dont-let-cyber-scams-win-the-championship\/"},"modified":"2026-03-11T16:06:19","modified_gmt":"2026-03-11T23:06:19","slug":"march-madness-dont-let-cyber-scams-win-the-championship","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.chapman.edu\/information-systems\/2026\/03\/11\/march-madness-dont-let-cyber-scams-win-the-championship\/","title":{"rendered":"March Madness: Don\u2019t Let Cyber Scams Win the Championship"},"content":{"rendered":"

March Madness has arrived.<\/span><\/b> Brackets will be tested, underdogs will advance, and dramatic finishes will dominate the highlights. But while the excitement unfolds on the court, cybercriminals are also stepping up their game, launching a full-court press on inboxes across higher education, including ours. Periods of heightened attention and activity are prime opportunities for scams designed to distract, rush, or mislead.<\/span><\/p>\n

Let\u2019s\u00a0break down the most common \u201cscams in the tournament\u201d and how you can keep them from cutting down the nets.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Bracket Bait Phish<\/span><\/b>
\nThis\u00a0scam\u00a0typically appears as an email or message offering access to an \u201cofficial\u201d tournament bracket, prize pool, or surprise winnings. The message encourages you to click a link or log in to\u00a0participate.\u00a0In reality, the link leads to a fraudulent site designed to capture your credentials.\u00a0To defend against this tactic, avoid clicking on unsolicited bracket links, navigate directly to trusted websites, and review sender details carefully. Small inconsistencies are often a telltale sign.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Buzzer Beater Urgency Scam<\/span><\/b>
\nMessages\u00a0claiming\u00a0\u201cyour account will be locked today,\u201d \u201cfinal warning,\u201d or \u201crespond within 30 minutes\u201d are designed to create pressure and short-circuit good judgment. The goal is to prompt immediate action without verification. A reliable countermeasure is to pause before responding. Chapman IS&T will never issue urgent threats or demand immediate action via email. When a\u00a0message feels\u00a0rushed, take time to confirm its legitimacy.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Fake Ticket Giveaway<\/span><\/b>
\nOffers for free or deeply discounted tickets, travel, or gear can be enticing, especially during high-profile events. These scams typically ask recipients to submit personal, login, or payment information to \u201center\u201d or \u201cclaim\u201d a prize. In practice, this information is harvested for misuse. Remain cautious of giveaways that request credentials, rely on official sources, and remember that legitimate complimentary tickets rarely come with additional requirements.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Transfer Portal Trick<\/span><\/b>
\nIn this scenario, scammers impersonate a faculty member, administrator, or supervisor and request gift cards, wire transfers, or sensitive information. Familiar names and roles can create a false sense of legitimacy. Always verify unexpected requests, particularly those involving financial transactions.\u00a0Closely inspect\u00a0email addresses and, when in doubt, confirm the request through a separate communication channel.<\/span><\/p>\n

Defense Still Wins Championships<\/span><\/b>
\nYou do not need to be a cybersecurity expert to protect yourself. Effective defense is built on a few fundamentals: slow down, examine details closely, and trust your instincts. Most\u00a0scams\u00a0rely on speed, surprise, or discomfort to succeed.<\/span><\/p>\n

Call to Action: See Something? Call the Foul<\/span><\/b>
\nReporting suspicious messages helps protect not only you, but the entire campus community. Awareness and shared responsibility are key components of a strong security posture.\u00a0Report\u00a0malicious messages\u00a0immediately\u00a0to:\u00a0<\/span>abuse@chapman.edu.<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

Your report helps protect not just you, but the entire Chapman community. One report can stop a\u00a0scam\u00a0before it spreads.<\/span><\/p>\n

Let\u2019s\u00a0keep the madness where it belongs,\u00a0on the court, not in our inboxes!\u00a0Stay alert, play smart, and enjoy March Madness!<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Stay safe, stay vigilant!<\/span>
\nKeith Barros<\/span>
\nChief Information Security Officer (CISO)<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

March Madness has arrived. Brackets will be tested, underdogs will advance, and dramatic finishes will dominate the highlights. But while […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3283,"featured_media":3577,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[35,23,246],"tags":[34,36,45],"class_list":["post-4139","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-information-security","category-ist","category-online-safety","tag-cybersecurity","tag-infosec","tag-phishing"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.chapman.edu\/information-systems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4139","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.chapman.edu\/information-systems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.chapman.edu\/information-systems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.chapman.edu\/information-systems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3283"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.chapman.edu\/information-systems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4139"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.chapman.edu\/information-systems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4139\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.chapman.edu\/information-systems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3577"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.chapman.edu\/information-systems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4139"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.chapman.edu\/information-systems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4139"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.chapman.edu\/information-systems\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4139"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}