Add tribal casinos to the list of commercial casinos and wagering operators in the US being targeted in a series of ‘Imposter’ frauds.
The National Indian Gaming Commission (NIGC) has already notified the tribal gaming industry, alerting operators and regulators to be vigilant against con artists. The imposters are posing as vendors, state officials, or tribal authorities to deceive casinos into handing over significant amounts of money.
According to the NIGC, these scammers conduct thorough research before carrying out their attempts. They can often demonstrate seemingly firsthand knowledge of the casino’s internal policies.
How The Scams Are Carried Out
The imposters typically start their heists by assuming the identity of authoritative figures, to learn more about the business they’re targeting. Once they have the information they need, they deliberately create a sense of urgency, coercing individuals into hasty decisions without proper consideration.
By using intimidation and instilling fear, they make ominous threats, insinuating dire consequences if immediate payment is not made. To make their schemes harder to trace, these fraudsters often opt for untraceable payment methods, such as peer-to-peer payments, Bitcoin, wire transfers, gift cards, or cash transactions.
Thousands of Dollars Stolen
At one tribal casino, a vault employee got a call from someone he thought was an employee.
The imposter claimed that he needed an urgent cash payment to ensure the delivery of casino equipment. The caller instructed the victim to take $100K from the vault and stay on the line while they deposited the money into several Bitcoin deposit kiosks. Subsequently, they were asked to send the QR codes at the kiosks to the scammers.
One Arrest Has Been Made
Recent incidents include the arrest of a man accused of stealing $1.17 million from Circa, a casino located in downtown Las Vegas. He impersonated one of the casino’s owners, Derek or Greg Stevens.
The suspect, Erik Gutierrez Martinez, also faces charges of attempting to steal $250K from the Eureka Casino Resort in Mesquite, Nev., under similar circumstances. Additionally, a similar crime occurred at the Golden Nugget in Laughlin, Nevada, although it is unclear whether Gutierrez was also involved in that case.
The NIGC Issues Warning
To try to put an end to the string of thefts, the National Indian Gaming Commission (NIGC) is warning tribes, tribal gaming regulatory authorities (TGRAs), and tribal gaming operations about the impostor scams.
In their release, the NIGC strongly urges tribes to report any such calls directly to tribal or local law enforcement, their local FBI office, or the U.S. Secret Service.
By reporting these incidents, investigators hope to identify patterns that may help end the threat. They can also share the information with other law enforcement and tribal casinos.
NICG Encourages Additional Training for Staff
The NICG is encouraging all casinos to conduct training sessions for staff members—especially if they have access to cash and financial accounts. They’re also asking all casino operators to revamp their policies, and procedures and to make sure that they’re designed to safeguard casino assets.
Additional training can teach staff how to pick out and report suspicious activities among guests and employees. And emphasize the need for staff to independently verify any requests by directly contacting their supervisors. They can also redirect external callers seeking access to sensitive information to the security office.
Casino officials hope that by being vigilant and heightening awareness, the imposters will give up their attempts.
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