Copyright birminghammail
Sainsbury’s shoppers are being issued a warning to ‘lock’ Nectar points to avoid them being stolen. Customers have been warned to lock their Nectar points to avoid them being stolen ahead of Christmas . Sainbury's has ramped up security measures in efforts to stop scammers stealing points. The retailer has launched a safety feature which allows you to lock your points after customers complained their earnings had been stolen. Last week, the supermarket said shoppers will now need to use a QR code in the Nectar app to collect and spend points in Sainsbury’s stores. Sainsbury's , which is rivalled by Tesco , Morrisons , Aldi , Lidl and Asda , said the changes would help to “maintain the security of your Nectar points”. READ MORE Drivers face new monitoring device in cars under UK pay-per-mile tax Taking to social media, one shopper this week typed: “I’ve received an email from (Nectar) saying thanks for spending 24,000 (points) at Argos. “I haven’t spent anything. Please contact me asap as my points have been stolen.” Jake Moore, global cybersecurity advisor at ESET said the festive period is usually when criminals target accounts with “points that have been accumulated over the year.” He said that until a stronger two factor authorisation process is applied or the system is replaced, it is advisable to “monitor your account activity frequently”. “As Nectar cards are connected to finances they should ideally come with the appropriate security and protection similar to debit and credit cards.” Laura Suter, director of personal finance at AJ Bell, also said while Sainsbury’s move to introduce QR codes adds an extra layer of security, it “won’t stop scams entirely”. “Criminals are always quick to find new ways to target shoppers, especially in the run up to Christmas when spending ramps up and loyalty points can be worth a tidy sum.” Simon Roberts chief executive of Sainsbury’s told The Sun crime in an online environment is a “big new challenge” and added: “We’re working very hard on that here and our teams do a brilliant job.” A Nectar spokesperson also said: “Security is extremely important to us and we have a range of measures which help to safeguard our customer accounts.”
