Rogue Bingo Employee convicted of Stealing Data
It is rare to find dishonest people in the world of online bingo, partly because of the level of expertise needed to work in this sector and because they are paid sufficiently to perform their job with a certain level of honesty and professionalism. However, from time to time a rogue element can surface and create an unwarranted level of distrust in the gaming community. Thankfully, these people are often caught quickly enough so any serious damage can be prevented.
A total of 65,000 Foxy Bingo players have had their personal details stolen by a former employee of a poker site in Israel with links to employees in the popular bingo site. This person obtained and then went on to try to sell these details to other operators but got nabbed in the process and was charged and subsequently found guilty of three serious offences under the Data Protection Act. Marc Ben-Ezra was given a 3 year conditional discharge and told to pay a total of £1,700 plus costs.
Ben-Ezra used the fake name Malcolm Edwards to contact affiliate and gaming sites across the UK. Once contact was made he would send them a sample database with 400 Foxy Bingo customer details as a taste of the merchandise he had available. The good thing about the gaming industry is that although it is very competitive, everybody watches each other’s backs when it comes to online fraud and potential identity theft criminals. As a result Ben-Ezra’s activity was reported and a private investigation got underway. A fake buyer working for Cashcade made contact and bought the database for £1,700. As soon as the transaction was complete it was all placed in the hands of the Information Commissioner’s Office for them to take action.
One positive thing that came out of this investigation is that the 65,000 player list held player names, usernames, telephone numbers, home addresses and email addresses. It did not contain bank account details. It is believed that the breach in data protection took place in 2008, judging from some of the information contained in the database. When he was tracked down and caught Mr Ben-Ezra admitted to all his crimes and even justified his actions as ‘normal’ in the industry. He actually had gaming debts himself and this was a way to pay them off according to him.
It is good to know that there are people and organisations protecting our fundamental rights online and that the gaming industry does not tolerate attacks on the privacy of their players. After all, without trust and transparency the whole gaming industry would fall apart to the disappointment of gaming companies and players alike. Keep playing and keep trusting!
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