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Scammers tried to steal £250 worth of Nectar points from me – the warning signs you need to look out for
WE explain how to protect yourself from loyalty card fraudsters
A Sainsbury’s shopper has said hackers attempted to steal £250 worth of Nectar points from her account - and is now warning other customers about the signs to look out for.
Carrie-Ann Skinner, 41, from Crayford in South East London, had spent a year building up points by regularly shopping at Sainsbury’s.
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She had two-factor authentication enabled on her account, it meant that when she attempted to log in to Nectar she was sent an email with a verification code.
Without this function, she may not have been alerted when hackers tried to access her account.
In July last year she received a verification code email, despite not requesting one.
Carrie-Ann told The Sun she thought it was “a bit strange” when she got the notification but after checking her Nectar app, everything seemed fine so she “thought nothing else of it”.
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But later in the day, she had an email saying the address on the account had been changed, to what she says was a completely different address to her own.
It’s not clear how the address was changed, as Sainsbury’s says the hackers weren’t granted access to the account.
She quickly changed her password and contacted Nectar, which fixed her address.
Carrie-Ann then changed her password three times.
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However, days later she had another email saying her address had been changed again to the same new address.
Nectar then put a permanent block on her card and transferred £250 worth of points to a new card.
Carrie-Ann was left “very angry” and confused by the situation.
“They said everything would be fine, but to be honest, I didn't believe them because I changed the password three times,” Carrie-Ann said.
“So if the password had been leaked, they shouldn't have been able to get in the second and third time.”
As a former technology journalist, she says she is hot on spotting phishing scams, using complex passwords and not posting too much information online.
A spokesperson from Nectar said it had seen evidence of fraudulent attempts to gain access to her account, but denied hackers that had ever accessed it.
It says it blocked Carrie-Ann’s original Nectar account to keep her balance safe and transferred the points to a new account, showing their security measures worked.
The Sun reported previously that Sainsbury’s shoppers had complained of having hundreds of pounds worth of Nectar points stolen overnight.
At the time, Nectar said shoppers may have been victims of phishing scams or had weak passwords on their accounts.
Hackers are known to target points cards in the run-up to Christmas as customers often save up their points for the festive period.
Carrie-Ann said she no longer keeps too many Nectar points on her card - no more than £20 at a time - in case she is targeted again.
The 41-year-old has also changed her passwords and her email on her Sainsbury’s shopping account.
A Sainsbury’s spokesperson said: “The security of our customer accounts is of the utmost importance and we have a range of measures in place to help us detect, and in cases such as these, prevent fraud."
How to keep your phone safe from fraud
One of the easiest ways to avoid being hacked is to download the latest software updates for your phone, which usually contain patches to fix vulnerabilities.
If you have an iPhone, you can ensure it stays up to date with the most recent software by turning on automatic updates.
When searching for software, apps, or really anything to download onto your iPhone, only look to trusted sources.
The official App Store is just one example. Any applications in there have all been vetted by Apple so you know they're safe.
You should also be very cautious about downloading text or email attachments.
Don't click on suspicious attachments or links if you haven't confirmed where they come from.
They can inject malware onto your phone or nab your personal information under the guise of being from a trusted source, like a bank or employer.
These details can then be used to hack into personal accounts.
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To take steps to protect your data from interception, refrain from connecting to public WiFi networks.
If you must, be sure to use a Virtual Private Network, or VPN - there are tons of options in the App Store.
Supermarket loyalty schemes - which has one?
MOST UK supermarkets have loyalty schemes so customers can build up points and save money while they shop.
Here we round up what saving programmes you'll find at the big brands.
- Iceland: Unlike other stores, you don't collect points with the Iceland Bonus Card. Instead, you load it up with money and Iceland will give you £1 for every £20 you save.
- Lidl Plus: Lidl customers don't collect points when they shop, and are instead rewarded with personalised vouchers that gives them money off at the till.
- Morrisons: The My Morrisons: Make Good Things Happen replaces the More Card and rewards customers with personalised money off vouchers via the app.
- Sainsbury's: While Sainsbury's doesn't have a personal scheme, it does own the Nectar card which can also be used in Argos, eBay and other shops. You need 200 Nectar points to save up £1 to spend on your card. You need to spend at least £1 to get one Nectar point.
- Tesco: Tesco Clubcard has over 17million members in the UK alone. You use it each time you shop and build up points that can be turned into vouchers - 150 points gets you a £1.50 voucher. Here you need to spend £1 in Tesco to get one point.
- Waitrose: myWaitrose also doesn't allow you to collect points but instead you'll get access to free hot drinks, and discounts off certain brands in store.
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