New online poker payment fraud persists
Global Payments, the business indirectly connected to a problem with fraudulent gambling transactions, has claimed that no servers on its network have been compromised. Last week, rumors of a fresh online poker scam began to spread on Twitter. And more details have recently come to light.
A fraudster at the center of the incident created fake accounts at authorized American online gambling sites using stolen data. People who are familiar with security procedures think the fraudster is setting up fictitious accounts and using data saved by the payment processor, VIP Preferred.
Online Poker Players and Operators are both affected
User’s bank details are saved in a database when they use VIP Preferred Service for the first time. This is to save the user time from entering their data anytime they want to make a bank transaction. The fraudster uses this feature to fund online poker accounts without needing the victim’s bank details. Then, the money is theirs after using VIP Preferred to deposit an eCheck and request a withdrawal to a fake Venmo account.
More shady activity has been reported since poker players started to piece together the scam’s various components. According to some tweets, fraud has been going on since October 12, and anyone who has used VIP Preferred could be a target.
Users of DraftKings have also been duped by the fraudster. According to the security team at DraftKings, the fraudster allegedly creates fake accounts at DraftKings and other online gambling websites using information stolen from “other websites.”
Global Payments Takes Action
The parent company of VIP Preferred, Global Payments, has confirmed that information was stolen from a non-affiliated third-party website and that its own servers have not been compromised. And their company is cooperating with law enforcement to find the culprit.
There are undoubtedly still more things to learn as the situation changes. It appears that Global Payments and authorized US online poker sites have been targeted for attack. Because someone has stolen personal information, fraudsters can take advantage of gambling operators and their users.
How to Avoid Becoming a Victim
A poker player by the name of Melissa Burr tweeted some safety advice. Closing any bank accounts that have been used in the past to conduct gambling transactions through VIP Preferred is the primary method of lowering the risk of becoming a victim.
She has also suggested that online poker players update their login information, including their email addresses. Finally, if you use iOS or Android devices for online poker and gambling, she advises locking your SIM card.