Poker Celebrities’ Vimeo Accounts Targeted in a Cyberattack

Vimeo accounts of famous poker players have been under attack, according to the latest revelations. Fraudsters have defrauded professional poker players, Daniel Negreanu and Erik Seidel, and robbed thousands of dollars from their accounts. Both players took to Twitter to announce that they have become the victim of online fraud and lost thousands of dollars from their accounts on the PayPal-owned Vimeo. Negreanu was particularly outraged and anguished by the fact that the scammer not only looted $15k from his account but also had the guts to try to pay the cab bill with it.

On the other hand, Seidel declined to comment on how much money he has lost to hackers. However, he revealed that a hacker changed his email address connected to his account, and as a result, he was struggling to connect to the customer care service of the mobile payment platform.

Reacting to the query from Bloomberg, the PayPal representative said that the company is serious about the safety and security of its customers. In all such matters, it takes decisions very diligently and swiftly to mitigate any kind of adverse impact on the customer’s financial well-being.

It is important to note that Negreanu and Seidel have been targeted due to their celebrity status and high earning potential.  While Negreanu ranks third, Seidel comes fourth in the list of all-time highest grosser in poker games worldwide. According to one estimate, Negreanu’s gross income from poker tournaments is pegged around $40 million. On the other hand, although Seidel’s income has not been estimated yet, it is believed to be below Negreanu’s earnings.

Criminals targeting the poker players in the online space is not a new phenomenon. Thanks to the highly publicized wins of players, cybercriminals are always inclined to rob them. Overall, these kinds of incidents tend to have a negative impact on the perception of people towards the game as it concerns the safety and security issues related to the game and the player.