Next time you use the players rewards card at a casino, there are some things you should know. Apparently, casinos aren’t the only ones who are seeing the info that the card holds about you. There have been fraudulent cases regarding these frequent player cards in Las Vegas as hackers have targeted casinos’ player databases to learn personal data about the card holders. They are also stealing points from the cards, according to security analysts and gaming regulators.

Chief of enforcement department at the Carson City Nevada Gaming Control Board, Jerry Markling, says, “We are investigating several cases at the moment. We’ve been seeing a lot of cases involving players club programs and the stealing of points.” However, he declined any comment on specific cases or any further details.

In fact, regulators sent letters back in December to casino companies reminding them of their obligation to their customers and their responsibility to protect the personal data of their customers, as well as a periodic review of database security.

Rob Meyne, VP of corporate communications at Boyd Gaming Corporation says, “Nevada has some very strict laws in place regarding customer confidentiality. In addition, the Nevada Gaming Control Board has recently reminded licensees that they are responsible for maintaining security of customer databases.”

Another problem lies in smart phone apps that ask users to provide personal data that is saved in databases of casinos. Hackers have attempted to get into these systems in order to gain access to debit card and credit card data, as well as other financial details.

Principal analyst at Enterprise Strategy Group in Milford, Massachusetts, says, “The bad guys like casinos because they have a lot of personal information. The days of viruses and worms have been replaced with targeted attacks.” He further notes that these attacks mostly come from Eastern Europe, noting that the criminals “are very skilled and know what they are doing. They are very good at poking around a network and finding its weak points.”

The good news is that the casinos are taking all of this very seriously and are doing their part to ensure the safety of their customers personal data. Information is always encrypted and there are multiple layers of security to protect information, which is good news. But you should always be careful about sharing your personal details and ask about the protection of your information before you give it up.

written by Haylie \\ tags: Casino Fraud, Las Vegas, Player Rewards Cards