How to Protect Your Smartphone From Identity Theft When Gambling Online

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Gambling is not what it used to be back in the day, but not in a bad wat. Contemporary casino style gambling is so much more thanks to the modern technologies that we can use.

What started out as one of the best ways to socialize and play in person by going to a brick and mortar casino is not done largely over our computers and mobile devices. Gamblers no longer need to spend time in traffic or walk half a town to play some poker, blackjack, roulette, or anything else.

Modern Gambling

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With the advancements in tech and the fact that everyone knows how to use it, gambling is nowadays done mostly online. Make no mistake however, real life casinos still exist and they are still a very lucrative business. However, it is the web-based services that are slowly but surely taking over the gambling industry as more and more player register and download dedicated apps. As a matter of fact, most of the online play is done over hand-held devices like smartphones and tablets. Being able to play what you like on the go irrelevant of where you are was once unheard of. Today, it is reality.

Remaining Careful

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Since every single person has a mobile device on them at any given time, it was only a matter of fact before these amazing gadgets started giving us all we need. They are crucial to us remaining connected to the rest of the world. Education, work, and entertainment are also easier and more optimal with them. This is why smartphones have to be protected from outside attacks and especially identity theft.

Why do we say this here? Well, because many gamblers learned the hard way that gambling online can cause you to have your information stolen and misused. In order to stay safe out there while you gamble, you have to know what to do and more importantly, what not to do. This article will help you with this as we discuss how to protect your smartphone from identity theft and similar problems while you gamble on the internet and play your favorite casino slot games.

Doing Your Research

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First and foremost, you should understand what the number one cause of people being taken advantage of and having their identities stolen really is. The core of the problem are illegitimate casinos whose only goal is exactly that, to steal away your personal information as well as payment info and give you a whole range of problems to deal with later.

This means that you have to be careful who you trust with your time and money. It is relatively easy to get hooked by a scammer on the web if you are not experienced enough. Novice online gamblers are the easiest targets because they still lack the knowledge about the whole industry. If you are new, do not fall for the fake casinos out there and do enough homework before you start gambling.

Checking Reviews and ratings

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Before you open an account with a casino and especially before you give them your personal information, check on Google if they are real or not. The most efficient way to do this is to read reviews from the players who came before you. The internet is full of both happy and frustrated past customers for any kind of product and service.

It is only a matter how much time and effort you are willing to put into your research. The reviews that gamblers leave can help you get familiar with the casino, while the rating sites are a good way to evaluate how legitimate, trustworthy, fun, and relevant they are. If you cannot find either reviews or ratings, it would be best to skip the casino altogether and look for another.

Third-Party Software

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Your phone should be equipped with some kind of protection anyway regardless of whether or not you are planning to gamble on online casino services. Antiviruses and VPNs are the best options you have if you want to remain safe out there. They are different in what they do but both are quite useful and arguably crucial. Antiviruses will prevent any files from infecting your device as well as block potentially dangerous links.

A digital virus can do a lot of damage, from transferring your files or deleting them, to rendering your phone useless since the whole software and the OS fail. VPN, or a virtual private network, spoofs your actual, geographical location and allows you open websites and use services that are unavailable in your region. However, it also hides your online activity from anyone who wants to track you, learn what matters to you, and target you. You can also get an ad blocker to remain free of the annoying adds that sometimes lead to gimmicky fraudster services that are usually harmful.

Aggressive Approach

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If you think that the app or the casino is too aggressive in the way they ask for your personal or financial information, it is probably a fake website that only aims to steal something from you. If they ask for your credit card info continuously, it is a major red flag. Similarly, if they ask you questions about certain private information that is in no way needed for your online gambling, do not give it to them.

Sometimes, they try to get out as much as possible from the gamblers and ask for passport numbers, addresses, family members, etc. The only thing they really need is your email, a password, your name and surname, and the credit card info. They may need your phone number for the two-factor authentication and the confirmation of your profile, but otherwise they do not need to have it.

Conclusion and Takeaways

In the modern world where technology is king, our private information if becoming more and more valuable. This is simply because it is becoming increasingly more difficult to have a truly private life in the 21st century and keep certain things of the grid. Take precautionary measures to stay safe and you will never have to deal with the consequences of having your identity stolen online.