***Video above: Ohio had 2nd largest sports betting launch in US***

CLEVELAND (WJW) – March Madness — a 68 team tourney to decide who is the best of the best in college hoops. 

There’s no doubt this time of year is a sports fans dream, with big upsets, buzzer beating drama and bracket busting galore.

But while we are all busy watching all the hoops action, cyber expert George Cray says scammers are busy putting on their version of a full court press to cash in.

“They are looking at what may be important to people right now. They are looking to build their scam to get you to give up important information,” said Cray, the senior vice president of Iconectiv.

Cray says this year, more than any other, college basketball fans in Northeast Ohio need to be on the lookout for scammers. 

That’s because the Buckeye State can now legally bet on all of the action.

The biggest thing to beware of: text messages from scammers claiming to be a gambling site.

“If you didn’t initiate the engagement via text, you don’t want to engage,” said Clay. 

If do get scammed, Cray suggests you should call the police and get proactive with guarding your accounts.

“You can put credit freeze on your account. Whether the scam comes from email or text, you want to make sure to protect your account,” said Cray. 

 So let’s sit back and enjoy the madness, but be aware that anyone can become a victim of a scammer who’s got a good game plan. 

“Even the wary, the educated, in the midst of knowing this can happen, they can still fall for it,” said Clay.