It is true that the greater part of online casinos is legal. Unfortunately, some online casinos with various scams can ruin the reputation and credibility of the rest of the reliable and safe ones. They try to allure you by offering promotions and Free Bets like the legal casinos, and then they steal from you. So, what are the worst online scams, and how can you avoid them? Read the most common scams that we wish you will never have to deal with:
Immediate theft of your deposits
This is clearly the most common scam that illegal online casinos use. In fact, most of them use this kind of practice, and they have different ways to do it. They invite you to make the first deposit and then it’s impossible to get your money back. The minute you complete the registration and make the deposit, they close or lock your account automatically before even you have the chance of requesting a refund or close your account. When you try to contact customer support, they ignore you completely, and you never get an answer.
Other casinos allow you to make a series of small deposits and withdrawals without raising any suspicion. They also give you a big bonus or a super offer to deposit more money, and then suddenly they close your account. The way to avoid this is to see if the casino has all the legal documents and research if they are on the country’s blacklist.
Set up games
As usual, these scams in online casinos are quite simple. They design a game that will allow you to win for a while, but in the end, they will take from you even your last penny. Some companies replicate the famous software that casinos use. There are versions of the well-known games so you feel safe as you may have seen them or already played on another casino website. Unfortunately, some developers have changed the code of the games and how to play, and they make you lose and constantly empty your wallet. Unfortunately, some online casinos use that kind of software.
Many companies, such as Microgaming, Playtech, and NetEnt, are considered reliable and usually provide legitimate online software. However, the reputed casinos don’t use this kind of software, and the companies who design them don’t work with illegal casinos. Because neither of the two wants to ruin its reputation in the industry.
Refusal of casinos online pay you to your winnings
Basically, if at some point you win a jackpot or a big bet and try to withdraw, the casino will refuse to give you your money. They will not respond to your emails and calls or contact you to let you know that a hidden term of use gives them the right not to pay you.
What can you do about it?
If it’s actually written in the Terms and Conditions and you agreed when you signed the contract with the online casino, you can’t do much. The only way to avoid scams in online casinos is to do your research and be sure that the website you choose is registered and supervised, and authorized by the government.
Victim of ransomware
Suppose you have finally managed to find a reliable and safe online casino. And finally, deposit the money and download the software to your computer according to the instructions provided by the website. However, in order to win your trust, they can also offer a welcome bonus, and when you download the software, a black screen may appear, and you will have no idea what to do. Even if you turn it off or if you try to press: ctrl-alt-delete, nothing will happen while on your screen a message like this may appear:
“Your device has been blocked from SHJK. All of your files now belong to us. To recover your device, send one Bitcoin to the following address within 24 hours, otherwise, all of your files will be corrupted.”
You might think for a moment that this is just a joke and turning off your computer, and everything will be fine. But, unfortunately, things may not be that simple. You probably have been a victim of ransomware. Unfortunately, you can’t know all these things, and there aren’t many things you can do.
So, you have two options :
• Throw away the device to which you are making access by downloading the software.
• Or pay the Bitcoin as the message tells you without any guarantees that they will leave you alone.
Ransomware is essentially malware, which appeared on Windows computers around the world in 2017. It basically goes and destroys your operational system. This has been done in many organizations, including the National Health Service of England. Fortunately, these attacks on online casinos don’t exist on a large scale. However, they are serious and can require large sums of money. We have heard talk of some asking even $1,000 in Bitcoin not detectable. Unfortunately, many people will pay this amount to keep intact their records and their computers clean.
Conclusion on how to protect yourself:
- Always read the Terms and Conditions.
- Check if the casino is on the blacklist and if it has all the licenses needed.
- Choose the casino with the best history of payments.
- Check if they offer other methods of payment, different from a credit card.
- Check the graphics of the website and trust your instincts.
- Do research to find users’ reviews either for the website or the app.
If you do these simple things and use logic, you might be able to avoid almost all the online casinos that are scams and play with pleasure, any game you choose.
Have fun even if you are not lucky enough to win.
