With the popularity of online gambling increasing, many people have been taken by online gambling scams. People have lost vast amounts of money, had their identities stolen and more. While most sites are legitimate, there are many that are not and here are a few tips to avoid online scams.

Avoid unfamiliar sites. When looking to play a new site, start with the free games first. Look for an Internet Gaming Commission (IGC) logo on the site. Keep in mind that many unscrupulous sites will just place that logo on their pages without the proper certification. You can verify a site’s IGC status by emailing ICG for verification. Legitimate sites such as X Bingo will feature this logo prominently.

Look at the address line in your browser. If it appears in numerals, instead of an actual name, it may indicate that it is a cloned site and should be avoided.

Research the site you wish to play. Go to newsgroups, forums or other internet resources and see what others have to say. Scams will be quickly posted on these sites by other gamblers. You can also find information about payout ratios on games such as bingo jackpots, poker and other games.

Make sure that the site you wish to play has full contact information. This includes a full street address (not a post office box number) and a phone number. Verify this information by performing a reverse phone number lookup. Also, check the street address location using a search such as Google Maps.

By taking just a few moments to do a little research on the sites you wish to play, you’ll be ensuring the safety of your money and identity.