UB and Absolute Poker are at it again

Just when you think UB and Absolute Poker couldn’t possibly punch you in the gut any more we get this past weekend’s breaking news: Data for over 3 million users on the two sites that make-up the Cereus Poker Network, including personal details and some account details, was leaked online and was available for public consumption for a short period of time!

I won’t get into precisely how the story unfolded here (if you want that I recommend Todd “DanDruff” Witteles version at DanDruffPoker.com, since he is one of the people that has access to the information) instead I’ll focus on the latest travesty from the Cereus Poker Network.

While I have never fully trusted any online poker room I did feel that UB and Absolute Poker were reformed (or at least better run) after their massive Super-User scandals. My thinking, which apparently didn’t take into account just how f**king greedy some people can be, was that since they had been caught they would be more likely to now follow the rules since scrutiny would be higher and the rope waiting to hang them was already slung over the tree.

Instead I learn on Black Friday that not only is UB and Absolute still engaged in some shady activities, but the same ownership is still in place!!! Since Black Friday the sham of a poker network has somehow managed to keep their doors open when even Full Tilt Poker was shuddered, and lord knows what other atrocities they have committed in that time. Now it turns out all of our account details have been leaked or sold online!

Here is what Witteles has been able to decipher from the data:

·         Screen names

·         First and last names

·         Full addresses (street, city, state, country, ZIP)

·         E-mail addresses

·         Phone numbers (for some players, not all)

·         IP addresses

·         VIP Level, and Blacklist/Chargeback status

·         Deposit methods used (for some players, not all)

·         Withdrawal methods used (for some players, not all)

·         Various numbers that were hard to decipher. These could be player balances, VIP point balances, or many other things used internally.

·         Date of signup (for some players, not all)

·         Date of birth

·         Other weird fields that cannot be explained/deciphered

Basically more than enough personal information for identity thieves to do some damage, spammers to be in heaven, and scammers to do their thing. So any former UB or Absolute Poker players out there make sure your passwords are solid, your secret questions cannot be figured out with the above info, and so on, because UB and Absolute Poker have just screwed you (and me) again!