From the past few years, the country is witnessing tremendous growth in the number of people joining the game of Poker. There are several poker sites in India where you can play cash games and tournaments to prove your mettle against opponents from all across India and win massive cash prizes.

To play poker games with real money, you have to buy virtual chips. Although ‘online’ is a safe and efficient method to make payments, due to the risk of data stealing and identity theft, it is essential to learn how to keep your information secure when you conduct financial business. The hackers are devising novel ways to get access to your devices and hack into your bank accounts and online wallets.

Here are some common ways hackers can try to steal your information and things you can do to protect yourself from online frauds  –

Never reveal your financial secrets

Smishing and phishing are two of the most popular scamming tactics to trick users to provide their financial details. You receive an SMS or email containing a link to a web page, that may look like coming from a legitimate source, requesting you to provide your username and password of a specific site for verification purposes. When you enter your account details on the page, all this information will go to the systems of data thieves. The message may also contain a download link which, if you click on it, spread the virus on your device and cause serious problems. To safeguard yourself, avoid clicking on SMS and email that ask for your information.

A hacker can call you posing as the bank representative to get critical information related to your account. He can try to lure you into sharing your sensitive financial details by offering free gifts or promotions.  Whenever you receive such type of calls, check the number online to find out it is authentic or not. If you feel anything fishy, disconnect the call or ask them ‘trick’ questions to verify their identity.

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Stay up-to-date

Avoid installing apps on your devices from unknown app providers as they can contain malware. Download apps only through genuine and trustworthy sources. It is not necessary to install from the app stores only. Some game providers allow players to download authentic apps directly from the original website. Check if the app is compatible with all Android and iOS devices. Read users’ reviews and ratings before downloading it. Also, grant permissions to the App only after determining whether it actually requires this authority or not. If you feel the app doesn’t need specific permission, disable it. Always keep the operating system, antivirus and firewall updated.

Secure your devices

As real money is involved, never let someone else play the game on your behalf. Protect the app from unauthorized access by using the ‘app-lock’. To keep your data safe, secure your smartphones using fingerprint scanners, passwords, or facial recognition.

Choose an authentic gaming website

Play poker games online only on a genuine and trustworthy gaming platform that strictly adheres to security measures in order to provide a safe, smooth, and transparent experience to the players. Make sure the ‘padlock’ icon appears in the address bar when you visit the website.

Check if the site allows players to make the financial transaction using any major payment method such as Credit Card, Debit Card, Pay By UPI, Online Wallet, Net Banking, etc. The two-factor authentication makes it tough for thieves to access your account.

Never save your card number and other sensitive information on your browser to prevent your account details from getting ‘hijacked’. Also, avoid making online transactions over public Wi-Fi. As most free Wi-Fi servers are not properly equipped with security protocols, your information is prone to the risk of misuse or any serious financial damage.

Fortunately, all the above-mentioned cyber-attacks can only hurt you financially if you fall for the bait. Avoiding online transaction altogether is not realistic. Instead, we need to learn about ways to protect your information from scams and other security issues when we make digital payments.