I received the following email graphic from Starbucks today. I thought, hey that’s a good idea, but then I remembered something from 2015.
A while back, I was the victim of a fraud using this system. Starbucks’ customer list had been breached. Using that information, bogus Loyalty Cards were created.
The scam is well described in the graphic below. This outlines the importance of not turning on Automatic Reloads on any card like the Starbucks Reward Card.
It is essential to audit your automatic bill payments as well.
The graphic shows how simple it is to start up a quick scam. I only clued in when my phone had many messages about the auto-reloads happening.
Things to take from this
- Auto-reload is not allowed if you use your credit card to “refill” your loyalty card.
- Turn on messaging, for the system to tell you when things happen. This will at least warn you about all activity.
- If you hear that your loyalty system has been hacked, change your card and log ins, right away. Please do not assume it will not happen to you.
- Are the points that important? What is the risk of giving out your credit card for this reward?
Glad I wrote about this a while ago, or I might have done something silly.
