GAA warn fans about fake streaming links for league games:
The GAA are asking supporters to be vigilant as several bogus streaming links for Allianz League games are being published online
GAA warn fans about fake streaming links for league games
By John Fogarty Irish Examiner
The GAA are asking supporters to be vigilant as several bogus streaming links for Allianz League games are being published online.
Scammers are imitating the likes of the organisation’s official Twitter account, TG4’s GAA Beo and Allianz as a means of convincing people to visit and make payments on websites where it is falsely claimed matches are being broadcasted.
This past weekend, links for streams of several non-televised football league games such as Clare-Louth, Fermanagh-Longford and Sligo-Laois emerged on social media platforms.
“We are always keen to remind people of protecting themselves online by only clicking on links they are certain are legitimate or from an official source,” said the GAA’s head of marketing and broadcast Noel Quinn. “If they are unsure, they should naturally avoid it until further clarification is gained.”
The only games being broadcasted this coming weekend are Saturday’s Division 1 hurling openers, Cork v Limerick (RTÉ), Antrim v Kilkenny (BBC iPlayer) and Wexford v Galway (TG4), and on Sunday the Kerry-Monaghan and Armagh-Mayo Division 1 football clashes (both TG4) and the Waterford-Dublin Division 1 hurling fixture (TG4 deferred).
Last week, the official Fermanagh GAA Twitter account warned followers: “Folks there is a fake profile @TheOfficialgaa it is impersonating the @officialgaa account do not follow or click links. Please report this profile so it can get removed! Only check official established accounts and websites if you are unsure!”
The false account has since been removed but it is a troubling development that there was such an elaborate attempt made purporting to be the GAA’s official account, which has almost 460,000 followers.
Illegal or bogus streaming websites have been an issue for the GAA since the pandemic when games were played behind closed doors or in front of limited crowds. In 2020, Dublin GAA were compelled to warn supporters about a fraudulent site claiming to stream their games.
The following year, the GAA confirmed they had been in touch with social media websites about helping them to crack down on fake links to matches being streamed. County board PROs had reported their social channels were being bombarded with spurious streaming links.
In each of their posts providing score updates in their Division 3 game against Cavan on Sunday, Westmeath reminded followers: “Please don’t click on any streaming links posted.” Clubs have also been flooded with scam links. Tyrone club Drumragh official Patrick Griffin bemoaned recent false MacRory Cup semi-final streams: “Roughly 95% of my job as Drumragh PRO is deleting comments like this on Facebook. They are relentless, please don’t click on them if you see them on any club GAA page.”