Every casino offers bonus promotions but if you don’t access, submit and claim your casino coupon codes in a way that protects your online privacy and safety, you may put yourself at risk. Your online security should be one of your first considerations when you play at the online casino and collect your bonus give-aways. Follow security protocols at all levels to protect your account and your winnings.
Security at the Online Casino
According to cybersecurity consultants, incidents of hacking and cybercrime is growing, despite sites’ efforts to protect their clients. Cybersecurity advisors send out frequent reminders to alert users to the dangers of online use, especially when it comes to the transfer of funds.
It’s true that the hacks get more sophisticated but the bigger problem is that users either ignore or forget basic security protocols. This allows the hacker to gain control of the user’s online identity and go on to access their accounts – including, in many cases, their casino accounts and their bank accounts.
There are many different types of cybercrime but online gamers and people who use casino coupon codes should be particularly wary of these
- Phishing – attempts to obtain usernames, password and other private details via contacting the target through email or social media and pretending to be a trustworthy entity (the person’s insurance company, bank, a government office, etc). A phishing email might typically say something like “please confirm your account details” – when you reply, you’d be replying to the phisher who could then use those details to gain access to your account.
- Malware – Software designed to cause harm to devices or networks via viruses, worms, ransomware or spyware. A hacker typically gains access to your device (mobile or PC) through some type of communication (email, social media) in which you are enticed to click on a link. That link then activates and inserts the malware in your device.
- Identity Theft – where the hacker contacts you in the same way that a phisher does and gains access to your personal information with the goal of committing fraud or other crimes.
- Online Scams and Fraud – Schemes that trick individuals into giving up personal information or money. If you receive an offer, via email or social media, that seems too good to be true (“you’ve just won $100,000! Click HERE to collect.”) it almost certainly is.
- Account Takeover – gaining access to a victim’s online accounts including their casino accounts, bank accounts and other financial accounts by convincing them to give up their account access details.
- Cryptojacking – a cybercrime that targets crypto users by hijacking their computing power to generate cryptocurrency. The hacker convinces the victim to install a program (to click on an email link or visit an infected website) with malware that allows the hacker to access their computer or mobile device and then create, or “mine”, crypto.
Staying Safe
Cybercriminals are becoming increasingly sophisticated in their attempts to gain access to your casino account, bank account and casino coupon codes. If you adhere to some basic principles of online safety, you’ll be able to safeguard your accounts and codes.
To stay safe online:
Connection
Make sure that your internet connection is secure. Never use a public WiFi connection for any visits to sites that are connected to monetary transactions. That means, if you’re on a public WiFi, don’t go into your bank account, your online bank account, your casino account (which is connected to your online bank), your credit card account, your cybercurrency ewallet, online shopping accounts, casino coupon codes or any other site where transactional data could be breached.
If you travel frequently and often find yourself in places where you’ll need to use public WiFi, use a VPN, a Virtual Private Network. A VPN is designed to protect data sent over unsecured networks.
Passwords
The issue of passwords is a weak spot in the cybersecurity world. People tend to choose passwords that are easy to remember and they use the same passwords for multiple sites. These practices make it easy for hackers to get into an account using hacking software.
You should always select strong passwords to make it harder for a cybercriminal to crack the code. Each password should be:
- Unique – a different password for each login.
- Long – 12 characters made up of capital and small letters, numbers and symbols.
- Don’t use sequential numbers – “5678”
- No personal information – your name, date of birth, a pet’s name, etc.
MFA
Enable multifactor authentication, an identification method that obligates you to provide two or more methods of identification to access an online account. For instance, a site will ask you to provide additional information other than your username and password to access the account – answers to a security question, an additional one-time password that is sent to your email or phone or a fingerprint, voice or face recognition.
Email Communications
Don’t reply to emails that ask you to “confirm log-in information” or to click on a website. Don’t click on any link. If your bank, a government office, casino or other ecommerce site wants to communicate with you, a copy of the communication will be in your account on the site – check there and conduct any further communications via the secure site.
Never download or open attachments unless you’re completely certain of the source – even then, it’s a good idea to confirm with the source because their account may have been hacked.
Data Backup and Cloud Security
Back up your cloud data. You should have access to a cloud platform that maintains a version history of your files so, if needed, you can return to earlier versions of a document.
Use these basic security protocols for all your casino coupon and other online gaming activities to stay safe when playing online.
