Over the last year, scammers who had accessed Sainsbury’s customers’ Nectar accounts defrauded them out of an estimated 12.5 million reward points worth £63,000
Sainsbury’s has made a huge change to its Nectar Card scheme, affecting 18million customers.
The major supermarket chain has introduced a new security feature on its loyalty card app to protect Nectar Card points from theft. According to reports, at the start of this month, Sainsbury began to roll out its new “Spend Lock” feature for its Nectar Card app. The security feature allows shoppers to freeze their accounts and set where their reward points can be redeemed.
Previously, there was no lock or limit on where points could be redeemed, meaning that anyone with access to an account holder’s barcode or account number could redeem the points. Over the last year, scammers who had accessed Sainsbury’s customers’ Nectar accounts defrauded them out of an estimated 12.5 million reward points worth £63,000.
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The issue was first reported after an investigation by the Mail’s This is Money. The paper had dozens of shoppers contact them who had had their points stolen. Some shoppers claimed their rewards had been redeemed in shops hundreds of miles from where they live. According to This is Money, criminals have been circulating lists of thousands of anonymous Nectar account numbers online and selling access to them.
When enabled, the new security feature will require the account holder to give manual permission each time they attempt to redeem Nectar points. The lock – which now appears in the app’s settings – can only be actioned or disabled by the account holder. The account can be unlocked instantly, although Sainsbury’s notes that it can take longer during busy periods. The feature is being rolled out to all 18 million Nectar card members, and it is understood that not everyone will be able to access it yet.
A Nectar spokesperson said: “We’ve recently introduced a new spend lock feature to add an extra layer of security to our customer accounts, allowing customers to lock their points until they’re ready to spend them. Security is our highest priority and we have a range of measures which help to safeguard our customers’ points.”
