Casino Hack Lasting Impacts
If you believe your personal information may have been breached during the MGM or Caesars cybersecurity attack, it is important to assess the potential impacts and act accordingly.
Contact MGM or Caesars
Update the password on your BetMGM or Caesars online account
Update any other passwords that may have shared similarities with these accounts
Enable 2-factor authentication, where available
Monitor or freeze your credit
From a tax perspective, these scenarios highlight the importance of tracking all of your gambling activity, rather than relying on third-party information. As a reminder, win/loss reports are notoriously inaccurate. While they can be used to support your gambling log, I would not recommend relying on them as sole documentation. Not only are they inaccurate, but they are issued by the casino as they see fit and can be susceptible to cyberattacks. These reports have been widely available for years, but there is no guarantee they will always be available. Your recordkeeping process should not rely on casino-produced data, when possible.
The increased frequency of cyberattacks means it is only a matter of time until some or all of your personal information is available to bad actors. Even if you do not believe any of your personal information is available, you should apply for an Identity Protection PIN with the IRS. This acts as 2-factor authentication when filing your tax return and makes it more difficult to file a fraudulent return under your SSN.