THERE are plenty of dodgy people out there and they all come out to play when mug punters are on the prowl around the Spring Racing Carnival.
Dodgy people posing as reputable bookmakers are easy to take advantage of unsuspecting – and suspecting punters.
It is easy money for these dodgy con men looking to make a quick buck.
They can get you at home, over the phone or online through email scams.
They will often ask you to sign up to accounts, and hand over your bank, credit card and other details.
It is all an elaborate ruse to scam you out of your money.
It is dodgy and can leave people thousands of dollar out of pocket.
And, if you believe the reports, it involves gangland figures – genuine nasties with the chops to back it up.
These are people you do not want to be involved with if you are trying to have a flutter on Jameka or Hartnell in the Melbourne Cup.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has received 308 complaints and reported about $3.5 million in betting related scams in the past two years alone.
One reported scam involved scammers providing fake receipts to make it look like the bets had been laid for punters, only to be found later that the bets were fake – they never were made – and the dodgy bookie had made off with the money.
You only have to type in phrases like “betting scam” or “online bookmaker scam” to find that there really are some very unsavoury characters out there and they are more than happy to fleece you out of your money, in absolutely any way they can.
It doesn't matter if you punt once a year on the Melbourne Cup, or if you are a seasoned gambler who has multiple bets each day.
They don't discriminate, they only see the dollar signs at the end of their ruse.
Avoiding the scams and betting safe
So, how do you avoid it?
Well, there are many things you can do, but, if you want to enjoy your bet safely, there is one key way to do it.
The easiest way to avoid getting stung by fake bookies is to sign up with a real one, with real websites that provide real odds – and have the integrity to back it up.
And, no, don't scoff, integrity and betting go hand in hand.
We've scoured the world wide web in an effort to find the best online bookies with the best reputations who stick to the rules and can ensure they will pay out on legitimate bets, while safe guarding your precious personal information.
Here is a quick list:
Luxbet
These six online bookmakers have the ability to give you the piece of mind that they are backed up by big organisations that will ensure your bets are honoured, while providing you with the peace of mind that your personal information, like banking details, name and address, will be protected.
They use some serious encryption on their websites to ensure hackers and potential attackers can't infiltrate their systems and steal your identity or money.
They also provide a suite of markets and odds that are comparable with any other bookmaker on the internet and they most certainly pay out on any legitimate bets.
Our say
In summary, before you even think about laying a bet, make sure you have signed on with a reputable bookmaker.
You need to have the security of a trusted online service to ensure you can place your bets – and transfer your money with the knowledge that it will be looked after and you won't be scammed out of it.
And, if you have been scammed, make sure you contact your police and the ACCC and make a report.
Even if you can't get your money back, you can at least perhaps help authorities catch the scammers and, in turn, ensure that other unsuspecting people don't fall victim to the same scam artist.
And hey, there are other great reasons to sign up with one of the six online bookmakers we mentioned.
Aside from the fact that they will look after your money and personal details, along with paying out on the bets that you lay (most of the time) you will also find that they have some of the best betting odds on the entire internet.
Add to that the fact that each has a superb range of weekly and sometimes daily promotions and specials, from multi insurance to money back specials and bonus bets, it really is a no brainer to link up with one of them.
And hey, if you are really keen – and you want to clean up on a swag of sign up bonuses – why not sign up with more than one of those bookmakers to claim plenty of bonus cash.
Because hey, there is nothing better than punting with some one else's money – guilt free.