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PlayNow Scams: How to Spot a Fake Website, Email or App
Our cybersecurity team is always working to identify and remove fraudulent websites, emails, or apps that impersonate PlayNow. If you think you've come across a fake PlayNow site, email, or app, please contact Customer Support before sharing any information.
When it comes to protecting your account, there are a few simple ways to tell the difference between an official PlayNow website, email, or app and a fraudulent one. You can check out the guides below to help you figure out what’s real and what’s a PlayNow scam.
Quick Safety Check
Official PlayNow websites, emails and apps will:
✓ Use official PlayNow URLs, email addresses, and app listings.
✓ Clearly identify the authorized operator for your jurisdiction.
✓ Direct you to manage account information from within your secure account.
✓ Never ask you to pay a fee or tax to claim winnings.
Fraudulent websites, emails and apps often:
✕ Use names, URLs, or logos that look similar, but aren't exact matches.
✕ Create urgency and pressure you to act immediately.
✕ Ask for sensitive information outside your account.
✕ Claim you've won a prize that requires payment before it can be released.
How to Recognize the Real PlayNow Website
How do you know if you’re clicking a real or a scam ad or into a real or scam website? We're here to help you spot the scams targeting PlayNow.com players.
Here’s what to look for:
- An official URL. In this case you want to ensure you see https://www.playnow.comhttps://www.playnow.com/mbhttps://www.playnow.com/sk in your address bar.
- PlayNow is the local, legal and secure choice in your province. You can see that through our owned and operated statements, “Proudly owned and Operated by BCLC”
- PlayNow is the local, legal and secure choice in your province. You can see that through our owned and operated statements, “Proudly owned and Operated by Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries”
- PlayNow is the local, legal and secure choice in your province. You can see that through our owned and operated statements, “Proudly owned and Operated by Saskatchewan Indian Gaming Authority”
- If you’re suspicious of something you’ve seen online that claims to be PlayNow related, you can always go directly to our website or app and see if it has been officially published by us on site.
A fake PlayNow website might appear similar, but it will have an incorrect URL, won’t have the provincial ownership statement and may ask you for personal or financial information in order to play.
How to Recognize a Real PlayNow Email
PlayNow emails will only ever come from this approved sender address: playnow-info@bclc.com or playnow@playnow-email.com
We will never ask you for any personal or financial information over email.
How to spot a fraudulent email?
- The sender address looks similar but does not exactly match our PlayNow official emails. The order of words may be different, or spelling may be incorrect.
- You’re being pressured to act immediately or provide personal or financial information over email.
- The message is leading you to a site that isn’t PlayNow.
How to Recognize the Real PlayNow Apps
Currently, we have five official apps that you can download from the Apple App Store and Google PlayStore. They are all listed and affiliated with the BCLC brand.
*these listing titles may be slightly different in the Apple App Store vs the Google PlayStore, ensure that you see the affiliation with BCLC before downloading.
There are a lot of apps out there that do try to use our name or likeness to get you to play their apps.
Here's what you can look for to find the fakes:
- Fraudulent apps are often advertised through sponsored posts and links only, instead of through more official channels like our website or in the app store.
- They may have a name or icon that’s close to ours but slightly off, or they may use the phrase “Play Now” to entice you.
- You might also be asked personal or financial information once you download this app that we would never ask you for because your account already exists.
How to Recognize the Real PlayNow Apps
Currently, we have two official apps that you can download from the Apple App Store and Google PlayStore.
*these listing titles may be slightly different in the Apple App Store vs the Google PlayStore, ensure that you see the affiliation with PlayNow before downloading.
There are a lot of apps out there that do try to use our name or likeness to get you to play their apps.
Here's what you can look for to find the fakes:
- Fraudulent apps are often advertised through sponsored posts and links only, instead of through more official channels like our website or in the app store.
- They may have a name or icon that’s close to ours but slightly off, or they may use the phrase “Play Now” to entice you.
- You might also be asked personal or financial information once you download this app that we would never ask you for because your account already exists.
How to Recognize the Real PlayNow Apps
Currently, we have two official apps that you can download from the Apple App Store and Google PlayStore.
*these listing titles may be slightly different in the Apple App Store vs the Google PlayStore, ensure that you see the affiliation with PlayNow before downloading.
There are a lot of apps out there that do try to use our name or likeness to get you to play their apps.
Here's what you can look for to find the fakes:
- Fraudulent apps are often advertised through sponsored posts and links only, instead of through more official channels like our website or in the app store.
- They may have a name or icon that’s close to ours but slightly off, or they may use the phrase “Play Now” to entice you.
- You might also be asked personal or financial information once you download this app that we would never ask you for because your account already exists.
Just so you know...
What PlayNow Will Never Ask You To Do
Whether you're using a website, reading an email, or downloading an app, PlayNow will never:
- Ask for your password.
- Ask for your Social Insurance Number (SIN).
- Once you have provided your credit card and financial information, we will not ask you for it again. You can change your payment method at any time, but we will not request outside of that process.
- Ask for your banking information by email, text, or phone
- Ask you to pay a fee or tax to receive winnings.
- Ask you to update account or payment information anywhere other than within your secure PlayNow account.
If You Think Something Looks Suspicious
If a website, email, or app doesn't seem right:
- Don't click any links.
- Don't provide any personal information.
- Stop interacting with the website, email, or app.
- Contact PlayNow Customer Support for assistance.
- We're here to help verify whether a communication is legitimate and help keep your account secure.