With the London mayoral elections just around the corner, it’s a great time to put a wager on who you think the next city leader might be. And placing bets online has never been easier.
However, when we put our personal and financial details on the internet, we increase the risk of becoming a victim of a hack attack.
So, whether you want to place a bet on Count Binface or Sadiq Khan as the next London mayor, here is how to stay safe whilst doing it.
Use a reputable site
Using an established site will means that your personal information, and money, will be kept safe. It also means that, when it comes to comparing odds, there is bound to be a much larger selection, as well as the tips and advice being much more reputable, in comparison to an unknown vendor.
So, to place a safe bet, you may decide to compare the London mayor odds from Betfair, due to the fact that it’s a reputable site that offers its bettors a variation of markets, odds, and betting tips.
On site security, there’s an easy way to check whether a platform is secure: ensure the HTTP code in the search bar at the top has an extra ‘s’ included. The extra ‘s’ stands for ‘secure’ and lets you know it’s okay to enter your details.
Choose a site that uses safety precautions
Adding to the previous point, when entering personal info, you need to ensure a site is doing what it can to protect you.
It doesn’t matter if you are shopping online or placing a bet, websites need to be vigilant when it comes to cybersecurity. Following the UK safety advice from Plus.Net, make sure you are looking for checkpoints on websites to ensure they are safe.
One of the main security points to look out for is ensuring the site has a privacy policy. This is often found at the bottom of the page and will tell you how your data is used. Another step is to make sure a site has contact information to add to its authenticity.
Having these things shows the company cares about the customer. Therefore, for security, when placing a bet on the elections, only use a site that has a privacy policy and contact information. Betfair, for example, has a detailed ‘contact’ section, and policy information available at the bottom of the site landing page.
Don’t use sites with malware
Malware is designed to cause us harm. No matter how much a site tries to protect data, they can become infected with malware and not even be aware of it. It’s then easy for hackers to take information from any visitor who clicks on the wrong thing or enters any information.
And as Britain learns from The Guardian that cyber-attacks are on the rise, malware needs to be avoided as much as a bad mayoral candidate.
There are a few ways to see if a site is infected.
Firstly, any logos or names on the sites may have been replaced with random words. Secondly, suspicious pop-ups could occur that should definitely not be clicked on. Thirdly, things that are advertised on the site can have odd spelling or grammar.
However, reputable betting sites have high-end software in place to protect itself and its customers against viruses and malware.
Following these tips when betting online will ensure that no matter which candidate you place wagers on, your information will be kept safe from hackers.
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