Examples include “Chess.com,” “Tabletop Simulator,” and online versions of popular card games like “Poker” and “Uno.” Card and Board Games: Online casino platforms provide opportunities to play classic card and board games with friends or other players from around the world. Beinternet offers online gambling from sports betting, online casino (such as Poker and blackjack), live dealer casino (such as roulette) and fixed odds games. Sports Games: Online sports games allow you to compete against other players in virtual representations of popular sports like soccer, basketball, and football.
Games like “FIFA,” “NBA 2K,” and “Rocket League” offer online multiplayer modes. Somehow, by using my Sim in his phone, the thief had access to my phone number and therefore received all my calls and texts. Any two-step verification codes sent by my bank to me went to him, giving him immediate access to log into my online banking and authorise a cascade of extravagant transactions. I’m still foggy on the mechanics of the scam. Strategy Games: Strategy games require you to make tactical decisions and manage resources to achieve victory.
These can be turn-based or real-time, and often involve competing against other players. Examples include “StarCraft II,” “Civilization VI,” and “Age of Empires II.” Both Asda and Silvertime refused to hand over the CCTV without a crime reference number, but according to the bank, no crime had been committed, so it was impossible for me to get one or, as a result, get any police support. Then came the purgatory: months of waiting then more stonewalling.
Meanwhile, the casino assistant said they’d also get back to me after reviewing the CCTV footage. Then the case was closed. I went back and forth with the bank via appeals, letters and phone calls. Surely this was impossible, I thought, without facial recognition or at least my bank card – which I wasn’t carrying that evening. Agonisingly, my bank couldn’t confirm what the purchases were. My Uber receipt showed he or they had gone to the 24-hour Asda in nearby Park Royal, where £2,500 of my money had evaporated in £250 increments.
A dread crept in, the thought of the puzzled shop manager returning, greeting me with a familiar, ‘Good to see you again, sir.’ He would then confront me with irrefutable CCTV footage of that night, my drunken silhouette careening down the aisle, a microwave under one arm and some sofa cushions under the other. When I mentioned Silvertime Casino, he paused. Instances of this scam were popping up around West and Northwest London. Casinos are accustomed to handling large transactions; they usually have ATMs or cash desks that allow withdrawals using mobile banking apps.
It’s been used in several instances.’ Scammers were stealing phones and Sim cards, accessing people’s bank accounts, then ending up in Silvertime, where they were able to extract large sums of cash. During our call, the journalist explained a pattern emerging. ‘Ah,’ he said, ‘that place is a favourite among those who perpetrate this scam.