North American casino operators have reported that they have been the targets of data scams.
Great Canadian Entertainment (GCE) and Rivers Casino in Illinois reported being the victims of phishing scams and data breaches respectively, having warned customers of the situation and offered compensation to victims.
In the case of GCE, players of the operator-owned Moncton’s Casino New Brunswick and Casino Nova Scotia were presented with the chance to earn free spins in exchange for downloading the (fake) casino's apps.
The apps used company logos, names and images to feign legitimacy yet were designed to collect user data.
GCE confirmed the apps were illegitimate and not procued by the operator itself. Moreover, the GCE website scam alerts on the case stated: ‘This is a phishing attempt targeting our community and we urge caution.’
‘Never share financial details. You shouldn’t be asked for your bank or credit card details to claim a prize from any Great Canadian Entertainment venue.’
Meanwhile, Rivers Casino in Des Plaines was targeted by a data breach back in August, with the casino becoming aware of the breach earlier this month. Contact information, government ID information and passport information of customers and staff both online and in retail became vulnerable due to the hack, though the casino has not publically stated how many customers had their data targeted.
It was also confirmed by the casino that there were no indications of any passwords or payment card details being collected.
“Upon learning of the incident Rivers promptly took steps to contain the threat and secure our systems, avoiding any interruption to our operations,” the casino said.
Rivers Casino intends to offer a year of free scam alerts to all affected customers.
