An expert in fraud prevention has told Malta’s gaming community their best defence against fraud is knowing how their customers behave.  

How an internet user moves his mouse, the number of clicks per minute and how fast they type are all things that could give a fraudster away, according to the experts.

“A fraudster’s biggest weakness is they’re not your user,” Group-IB fraud prevention expert Julien Laurent told gaming companies at the Fraud Intel event organised by Times of Malta.  

Even the way how some persons hold a mobile phone could give them away, he said.  

If a person suddenly adjusts how a device is held — for example, suddenly starting to use a smartphone with a large screen one-handed — this could indicate a fraudster has accessed an account, explained Laurent.  

Gambling companies should be especially vigilant against fraud, he said, with the sector proving an attractive target for fraudsters due to its low tax rate of five per cent. 

“Gambling is great for laundering money - it’s low-tax or tax free,” said Laurent, noting that some jurisdictions outside of Malta do not tax winnings.  

The sector had also seen a dramatic increase in the number of phishing attacks last year, which had risen by over 300% last year, he said, stressing impersonating well-known brands was becoming increasingly common.  

On Thursday, Times of Malta reported a new wave of scams targeting BOV users. Many clients were sent a text message,including a link to a fake site to them into entering their login details.  

Laurent noted that databases of phone numbers and phishing software were cheap for scammers to buy online, citing a case where a bank overseas had lost over €70 million to a piece of software costing around €300.  

Some call centres used by scammers even fooled their own employees into thinking they were working for a legitimate bank, he said.  

“It’s important to remember that these attacks aren’t from lone people sat on a sofa trying to scam people; it’s a very sophisticated operation. If we don’t treat them as professionals, we underestimate them.”