Whow I think I opened a can of worms, Identity Theft and Internet Security!

I mentioned in another thread that I was avoiding Bodog.com. This is because they are listed on an Identity Theft watch-list. This is an internal listing and I cannot give some link to it!

Also I did not mean to cause any problems but as a person said I could just be another “troll.” Well it is very easy to show WHY they would be on this watch-list.

What is the minimum information needed to spoof someone’s identity? FULL name, FULL address and Mother’s Maiden name. MY source, 100’s if not 1,000’s of articles, newpapers, special reports, ETC...

The next most useful info; Birthdate, Birthplace, Email to try to get more info.

Now lets look at Bodog.com’s registration: Here are the REQUIRED fields!
FULL name, FULL address, Birthdate, Birthplace, Mother’s Maiden name, Email address.

The other sites I have logged into, ask for a screen name, or Country and City, password questions like favorite board game, agree you are over 21 (or whatever age.). That information would be NEARLY useless to others.

EVEN if they are a good company, They are showing extreme stupidity gathering this info. Why, I (yes ME) I am sure I would have the means and the knowledge to hack there site. But more importatly there are many other groups that as soon as they believe it is worth stealing this info, THEY WILL!!!!! IT IS impossible to completely protect internet data, the only good news, most data is NOT worth stealing, that protects the data.

I hope that clears up that point!
TJ

PS – If there is a better forum for this discussion please move. TY

Quote: TJerome

Now lets look at Bodog.com’s registration: Here are the REQUIRED fields!
FULL name, FULL address, Birthdate, Birthplace, Mother’s Maiden name, Email address.

I noticed this when I signed up with them [I have done practice only]. I gave made-up information on all of these, as my wife had her identity stolen once and we learned not to do this. I can repeat the made-up stuff if they want to double-check that I am still the original person. And I figure if I ever was to use real money, and they claimed they could not let me play, then I would happily accept that I was not playing there.

I make up information as well anywhere I go online until the point I am actually paying for something. It's just the smart thing to do.

Bodog probably asks for this information up front so that they can easily get you started playing for real money without having to ask the questions again.

I kind of believe that Bodog is probably on the level as the Wizard personally vouches for their character and he is, I think, a person of character.

Any server where you leave your personal information is up for theft. That's why you have to be careful as to whom you give your personal information to.

But as for me, I don't think I would play *any* internet gambling for real money because you never know what the programmers and the RNGs are up to. It's just too tempting for a foreign owned company to steal money and face no consequences. And I have a real problem with the fact that most of the gaming servers are located on an indian reserve just outside of Montreal where they are exempt from Canadian law.

Quote: TJerome

What is the minimum information needed to spoof someone’s identity? FULL name, FULL address and Mother’s Maiden name. MY source, 100’s if not 1,000’s of articles, newpapers, special reports, ETC...

The next most useful info; Birthdate, Birthplace, Email to try to get more info.

Now lets look at Bodog.com’s registration: Here are the REQUIRED fields!
FULL name, FULL address, Birthdate, Birthplace, Mother’s Maiden name, Email address.

I gave fake info for all of those fields. It's easy to see the possible innocent reasons that they want that info, though, right? Getting it for "practice" players makes it MUCH easier to convert them to paying players later. It also helps them verify banking info eventually and satisfy residency requirements for online gambling for paying players (no illegal players, etc).

There appears to be a lot of respect for Bodog.com. Once again I am NOT speaking against them! I was just responding to another persons question. The greatest protection at all times is to have a complete alias, I have about three that a very well developed. I base them on people I know and change the name (so they are easy to remember all the info.)

One reponse was they are ligitamate questions. YES THEY ARE! Separately asked! Together they create a problem. The password recovery questions are Mother's Maiden Name and Birthplace. TWO EXTREMELY personal pieces of data, just to recover a password???

I am not trying to prove anything! In fact I might just be giving a great company a chance to fix a mistake. That by the way I do believe, is that they are showing poor judgement in gathering this info.

I can tell you this, they will remain watched while this info is being gathered, FOR NO GOOD REASON. If anyone did give real info, be VERY aware of email surveys asking other personal data. Do like dogs? [gives a chance to guess names] These VERY innocent looking questions are very useful.

I AM SURE that almost everyone 99.99% of the users here on this forum, are very smart web users. So I am not preaching or lecturing!!! Maybe just condencing what we already know.

TJ

Well I am not a wikipedia addic, but good stuff. You cn see how they have listed person information. Here is a VERY good list:

Remember once you have a FULL address, getting the rest is simple!

TJ
PS -- This was my wife's recomendation to post the link.

Hi Everyone,

I'm BodogBecky, the Global Bodog Brand Ambassador. These questions are standard at most online businesses because people don’t ever forget them- they are static and they are not commonly known by friends or neighbors who could pose as a client. Answers to questions like “My favorite board game?” change over time. Answers to questions like “What color is my car?” are visible to others (and change over time). Full name, address and birth date are required as part of our Know Your Client obligations by the organizations that license the Bodog brand licensees.

You are certainly smart to be wary of giving out your information to an online business, but please feel free to check with the KGC to see that Bodog.com is held to strict rules around the use of this information and that audits show Bodog.com is compliant. Also, please feel free to get a reference from any Bodog.com advertising partners whom they have worked with for years.

Thanks so much and please let me know if you have any remaining questions or concerns,
Becky

Remember once you have a FULL address, getting the rest is simple!


Just wondering how you are going to collect your winnings TJerome. I typically have a cheque mailed to me. The wrong address and wrong name would make it very difficult to cash. If you happen to be a poker player and lucky enough to win a seat in a brick and morter tourney you could also have some real problems. Most sites have some language in their terms of use that would allow them to void your win if you have provided false info. Probably part of the proceeds of crime regs that they have to deal with.

You haven'd had a flood of comments from people that have had problems so the risk is likely small.

I am more concerned when I am on e-bay where rip off artist abound than I am on the reputable gambling sites.

Ms Becky,

Frankly I do not believe you. These questions are not standard nor necessary in business.

There are thousands of questions that could be asked whose answers do not change--such as: "what color was my first car".

Why is mother's maiden name asked for? This information is the one bit of information that banks in the USA use for identification. Why do you need the same information that is used for entry into bank accounts? There is no business reason why a casino online needs this information. Plus, why does Bodog need to know a person's place of birth? This item happens to be the only non-public information, besides the passport number itsself, that is contained in a USA passport.

I understand that you need a name and address to mail a check and might need a means of communication such as an e-mail address or phone number, but anything beyond that is intrusive.

Quote: kenarman

Just wondering how you are going to collect your winnings TJerome. I typically have a cheque mailed to me.

Well I have not yet signed up, so as to collect winnings. I may soon, but for those transactions I would only trust NetTeller or PayPal. Both of them are watched by everyone very closely. The chance of being hurt by them is virtually NIL! If you do use them, here is another little thing to remember use very strong passwords TJerome (BAD password) very weak. tj45men (GOOD but still vurnerable.) TJ$%mEn (Very strong.) But notice still easy to remember because the $% is just 45 with shift. Hope that answered your question. It does not matter what type of site, but how you interact with them. Even with E-Bay there is some protection when you use PayPal.

TJ

Quote: TJerome

Well I have not yet signed up, so as to collect winnings. I may soon, but for those transactions I would only trust NetTeller or PayPal. Both of them are watched by everyone very closely. The chance of being hurt by them is virtually NIL! If you do use them, here is another little thing to remember use very strong passwords TJerome (BAD password) very weak. tj45men (GOOD but still vurnerable.) TJ$%mEn (Very strong.) But notice still easy to remember because the $% is just 45 with shift. Hope that answered your question. It does not matter what type of site, but how you interact with them. Even with E-Bay there is some protection when you use PayPal.

TJ

The problem with the payment services is the charges. This forum spends much of it's time talking about HA changes of .1% or less. When you use the payment services you give up more than the total HA to the payment service fee before you even start. Hard enough to try and come out ahead without giving up that extra edge to the payment providers.

The sites are like the casinos they don't need to cheat or sell your infor to make money. Having said that there are many gambling sites that are not trustworthy. If you haven't already, check the Wiz'z other site for feedback on reputable gambling sites.