How to protect yourself from online gaming fraud

By James On Oct 10, 2023

Online games of chance are not only entertaining, but they can also bring in considerable amounts of money for the lucky winners. Unfortunately, it happens again and again that fraudsters run dubious online casinos and gladly accept deposits from players, but do not reliably carry out the payout. Personal data is also not sufficiently protected in such casinos. In this article, we would like to show you how to recognise fraudulent offers and protect yourself from problems when playing for real money on the internet.

Only choose reputable online casinos from the outset

Online gambling security starts with choosing the right online platform. Don’t just register randomly, but think carefully about which provider you want to play with. You can find the best promotions at https://www.richardcasino3.com/promotions. You can tell whether you are well protected against fraud in a casino by the following points, among others:

Licence

Through an official licence issued by a trustworthy regulatory authority, an online gaming hall is bound by strict regulations. For example, the funds in the player accounts must be managed separately from the assets of the casino operator. This ensures that you can withdraw your money even if the online casino should become insolvent. Licensed gaming halls are regularly inspected by the relevant regulatory authority so that they can intervene quickly and protect users if problems should arise.

The standards for data protection are also regulated in the licence conditions. Your personal information may not be disclosed to unauthorised third parties and is well protected from hackers through encrypted data transmission. An EU state must issue the licence.

Experiences of other players

Question what experiences other players have had with the online casino. A casino whose customers are consistently satisfied is most likely reputable. If, on the other hand, there are numerous complaints from players, there will usually be a reason for this and you should rather look for another alternative. Of course, this does not apply to

complaints from users who are simply frustrated that they have not won anything. After all, the games offered are games of chance in which there are both winners and losers. If, on the other hand, the complaint concerns unreliable payouts, problems with data protection or other points relevant to security, you should be alert.

Test reports from professionals

Of course, you can take a look at many online casinos yourself and do detailed research on the licence and other topics relevant to safety. However, this is associated with a considerable amount of effort and at some point you would like to be able to play. Therefore, it is advisable to take test reports from professional casino experts for help. These experts know exactly what is important when reviewing an online casino. They look at the licence, know the background of the operator of the casino and find out how previous customers of the provider have fared.

A good test also tells you which game categories you can find in the gaming hall, whether there is a live area and which bonuses you can get as a new customer. In this way, you can select the online casino that has a suitable offer for you and is also clearly reliable and reputable.

Protect sensitive information well

Despite choosing an absolutely reputable online casino, players are still not 100% protected from fraud. You yourself must also contribute to security when playing. This already starts with the entry of the password: Choose a secure password that is not easy to crack. When logging in, make sure that no one is watching you enter this password. To be on the safe side, change your password more often.

Only play with a computer that has up-to-date virus protection. Make sure that cyber criminals do not install keyloggers or other malicious software that can steal your password. If you play on your smartphone or tablet while on the move, only use secure Wi-Fi networks. Especially when you are on the move, make sure that no one is looking over your shoulder when you enter your password on the mobile website of the online casino.

Safe payment methods

Deposits and withdrawals in online casinos are made using secure methods. However, the following also applies here: The best payment method can only be secure if it is used correctly by the user. Never enter your bank details on pages to which you have not been directly redirected by the online casino. No employee of a reputable online casino will ask you for your account or bank account access data by mail, phone or chat.

It is safest to opt for payment methods that do not require you to enter any bank details online. These include the popular e-wallets, cryptocurrencies and the paysafecard.

Popular scams related to online casinos

Unfortunately, there are always illegal activities with which cyber criminals try to steal money from online casinos or the players active with them. Fraudulent websites mimic legitimate online casinos to deceive players into depositing money, but they do not actually provide fair gameplay or legitimate payouts. Instead, their main goal is to take players’ money without ever allowing them to withdraw any winnings.

Here’s how these fake casinos typically operate:

Impersonation: These scammers create websites that closely resemble reputable online casinos. They might use similar domain names, website designs, and even copy content from legitimate casinos to make their sites appear genuine.
Attractive Promotions: Fake platforms often lure players in with enticing promotions, such as large deposit bonuses, free spins, or other rewards. These offers are designed to attract players and make them believe they have a chance to win big.
Deposit Requests: Once players sign up and create accounts on these fake casino websites, they are prompted to deposit money into their accounts in order to start playing.
Rigged Games: If the fake casino even offers any games at all, they are usually rigged or manipulated to ensure that players have a very low chance of winning. The odds are heavily stacked against the players, making it nearly impossible to achieve any substantial winnings.
Withdrawal Issues: If a player does manage to win, the problems start when they attempt to withdraw their winnings. The fake casino will often place numerous obstacles in the way of withdrawal, such as demanding excessive documentation, citing vague terms and conditions, or simply ignoring withdrawal requests altogether.
Long Delays: Even if players manage to navigate the withdrawal process, they may experience long delays, during which the fake casino hopes the player will get frustrated and continue playing or give up entirely.
No Payouts: Ultimately, players will realize that they are not receiving their winnings as promised. Some players might wait for an extended period of time, hoping their withdrawal will eventually be processed, but it never happens.
Vanishing Act: In many cases, once the fake casino has amassed a significant amount of deposits, it might suddenly shut down or disappear entirely. This leaves players with no recourse to recover their lost funds.

To protect themselves from falling victim to these scams, potential online gamblers should be cautious and conduct thorough research before signing up and depositing money into any online casino. They should look for legitimate licenses, reviews from reputable sources, and a track record of fair gameplay and timely payouts. It’s also advisable to avoid casinos that seem too good to be true in terms of their promotions and odds.

Phishing

Phishing is not only a problem in connection with online casinos. Fraudsters use alleged emails from the casino or the user’s bank to get the user to enter their online banking access data on a fake bank website. In this way, the fraudsters obtain sensitive information and can log into the player’s bank account themselves. From there, they then transfer money to their own accounts, which are usually located abroad.

Illegal access to players’ accounts

Many fraudsters also target the access data to the player’s casino account. They can use these to log into the customer account and try to make withdrawals, for example. Reputable online casinos do protect their players by allowing withdrawals to be made only with the previously used deposit method and only to accounts with the player’s name. Nevertheless, you should take security measures and make sure that no one can gain access to your login data.

Conclusion: Play safely and have fun

Regardless of attractive offers and big promises, security should always come first. If an online casino does not have a valid licence or otherwise attracts negative attention, you should definitely not register there and certainly not deposit any money. The biggest winnings of all times have only been achieved with reputable providers.

Even if your winnings are small, there is no guarantee that you will be able to cash them out at a dubious casino. Of course, it sounds tempting that users can make big winnings when playing for free. Always keep in mind that although there are many trustworthy and reputable online casinos, there are always fraudsters trying to get their hands on players’ money in an unfair way. Therefore, protect yourself by only playing in licensed casinos, protecting your data well and also paying close attention to security during the payment process.