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The Nevada Gaming Control Board has issued a notice to all licensees to warn of a fraudulent scam occurring at casinos in Nevada and, allegedly, across the country.
According to the NGCB, the scam targets casino cage employees, and the largest known incident netted $1.17 million.
In the case, a man pretended to be the owner of the Circa Hotel & Casino in Downtown Las Vegas.
“Criminal subjects use social engineering tactics to pose as casino executives,” the regulator said. “The subjects direct cage employees to withdraw cash from the casino cage and take the funds offsite for emergency payments on behalf of the casino. The imposters often pose as high-level executives and will contact a cage employee via a PBX call. The initial call is frequently followed up with a text message to the employee’s cell phone, purportedly sent by a second manager to confirm the fraudulent instructions.”
The cage scam is sophisticated and has been “surprisingly effective” in defrauding casinos, the state said.
According to Nevada, subjects gain “intelligence” on high-level casino owners, employees, managers, and others connected to the casino’s money operations. The alleged fraudsters then contact cage employees using a variety of scenarios to manipulate them “based on a fear of negative consequences for casino employees and/or operations.”
Whenever an employee hesitates or resists, suspects allegedly have said there is extreme urgency for the offsite payment. Additionally, inferences are made that an employee bonus will be paid for the inconvenience of the “unorthodox assignment.”
The NGCB said that it highly encourages all casino licensees to review all casino and cage security protocols that authorize the removal of cage funds from the premises.
This particular scam “continues to evolve,” and investigators have noted a shift in tactics to target gaming pits and other areas of the casino.
The gambling regulator said that education on the trending fraud is recommended for all cage cashiers, supervisors, managers, surveillance, security, and gaming pit personnel.
“Finally, licensees should be aware that advanced forms of technology, such as artificial intelligence, may increase the effectiveness of this type of fraudulent activity,” the NGCB said. “Consequently, heightened security protocols must be developed now to safeguard all employee information and casino assets.”
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