Virginia online bets can feel uncertain at times, with users often wondering about cybersecurity as they place their wagers. But the Virginia Lottery wants its customers to know the steps it takes in order to ensure safe and legal online gambling for its residents.
October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month. And with the calendar inching closer and closer to Halloween, the Virginia Lottery just issued a reminder to its customers.
“At the Virginia Lottery, we take gaming seriously,” it said in an update to customers. “That means we’re committed to the highest standards of security from physical security at our draw shows and for our scratchers to securing your online account for Lottery play online.”
Thanks to improvements in technology, it’s easier now more than ever to play your favorite games online from the comfort of your own home. In turn, it’s easier for hackers and identity thieves to steal for information.
What steps does the state lottery take to protect my Virginia online bets?
The Virginia Lottery ensures your account’s securities with a variety of different requirements.
- Every account needs a state or federally-issued identification for validation
- All accounts are age-verified with the last four digits of your Social Security number
- When you set up your online player wallet and chose your payment/withdrawal method, your deposits and withdrawals are protected
“Your Lottery account is secure from the very beginning,” the agency said in its update.
The Virginia Lottery offers suggestions on how to bolster your security online
It may sound basic, but your password is one of the best ways you can secure your online account. Tips include:
- Complex passwords are better passwords. The Virginia Lottery says its customer passwords can be up to 16 characters.
- Use nonpersonal phrases and a variety of upper and lowercase letters.
- Update passwords frequently.
“A helpful tip is to set a reminder on your personal calendar to update your password at valottery.com and in the Virginia Lottery app every three to six months,” the lottery’s cybersecurity memo advised.
Additionally, the Virginia Lottery suggests users turn on automatic updates on their respective devices. These software updates are vital to your cybersecurity. Your phone or computer gets the latest bug fixes when it undergoes these changes. Setting your device to update automatically, rather than forgetting to update manually, is best practice.
Virginia Lottery offers multifactor authentication to heighten its protection
It might seem like a hassle, having to type in a code from your phone when you try to log in, but it works.
“It’s a simple but effective measure that anyone can use to drastically reduce the chances of a cybersecurity breach,” the Virginia Lottery said in a statement.
Just how drastically can those chances of a breach reduce? According to Microsoft, multifactor authentication is 99.9% effective in preventing those incidents.
Be on the lookout for scams when making Virginia online bets
Scammers target their victims in a multitude of ways. And most of the time, those attempts look completely legitimate.
Phishing is one of the most common attempts to hack into your device. You may get a text or email from a name you recognize, but something might be off. It could be typos, a missing logo, or the email address could be off by a letter or two. The hackers include malicious content or links, so remember not to click on anything from someone you don’t recognize.
You’ll generally be prompted to take some sort of action in these phishing scams. There could be a false sense of urgency, requests for security information, fake links and other attachments.
Report online fraud when you see it
Just as it’s important to pinpoint fraud when it comes your way, it’s even more vital to report it. Always be suspicious of any email or text from an unknown sender that requests personal information or something from your account. It’s best to assume it’s a scam.
Think you’ve received something that’s a phishing attempt? You can report any spam or suspicious activity to the Virginia Attorney General’s office at [email protected].
