Nectar fraud – beware holding too many points – safer in BA Exec Club
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Not sure where best to post this warning, but as Nectar to BA Exec Club transfers are relevant I thought I’d post it here. A while back, before BA/Nectar reduced the transfer rate, I moved 50k Avios to Nectar, so I had a bit more flexibility. A few years later I still hadn’t spent the 80,000 plus Nectar points I had sitting in the account. Until, a few weeks back, I checked my Nectar app and noticed the balance had dropped to 2,000, after 82,500 had been spent in a Sainsburys in a London suburb! I live 450 miles away and have never shopped there, so I know it wasn’t me.
I Googled Nectar Fraud and found to my horror that it’s really easy to spend someone else’s Nectar points without access to their card. The problem seems to be that there is no 2FA on spending points, no security on the cards themselves, and the Nectar card numbers are randomly generated. So if a fraudster (thief) was to pick a number, create a barcode and try adding a few pounds of Sainsbury’s shopping to it, they might strike lucky and the credit goes through. Then they can easily check the balance at a till and spend all of it, with no checks at all, on something really expensive, so long as it’s no more than your balance allows.
Now, I was lucky. When I raised this with Nectar, after some to’ing and fro’ing through chat, they agreed to issue a new card and to refund the points “once their fraud dept had investigated”. My case was probably helped by the distance involved and the classic signs of fraud (a credit of 2 points in roughly the same area as the debit shortly after).
The most shocking thing is that when I asked the Nectar agent if I could secure my account so that, for example, an SMS code or a personal PIN code was needed before spending large balances, Nectar said they had no plans to introduce this.
I got my new card today, about two weeks after I reported the fraud, checked my account and the points had been reinstated. I immediately transferred 80,000 points to BA, after disconnecting my old card, then connecting my new Nectar card to my BA account.
The lesson? Don’t hold large balances on your Nectar card unless you’re going to spend them immediately. You’re safer holding them in BA.
Unless anyone knows that BA balances aren’t safe either?
Given that sainsbuy’s print the nectar number on all receipt with only the last four digits removed it is even easier.
OMG, I didn’t know this. Better start shredding my till receipts! 😱
I stopped using my physical supermarket cards a number of years ago becauae of this sort of issue.
I regularly find someone elses just left at the self service checkout and I just hand those to staff
I also make sure to either take the recepit or not have it printed at all.
I think a lot of people don’t actually conenct their card with the points they have and those have a financial value and that if they can spend them then someone else can.
The problem with increasing security is it then makes the points harder to use for the vast majority of people who don’t have a large balance and at what level do you start to require things like 2FA etd
I also make sure to either take the recepit or not have it printed at all.
In my local Sainsbury’s unless you go through the normal checkout with a person at the till, you have to scan your receipt to open the gate.
I also wonder about the issue with nectar points with boots, cause you can just spend the points if you know the card number. I guess it’s more difficult to know then nectar where people have shown how they check an account it’s valid.
There’s quite a long thread from a couple of months ago about how much of a problem this is! Stores just don’t consider it a priority.
Just had notification from Nectar thanking me for a purchase and to win some bonus points (nothing unusual about tapping into the app for a few bonus points after a purchase).
Checked app and there’s a 2 point credit which will update overnight.Sounds like this is the route the fraudsters are using,as OP alluded to.
Luckily for me, there’s about 200 points in my account, so pretty fruitless for them…..
I will speak to Nectar when I see where purchase was made.
I’m eagerly awaiting the chance to move by big stash of Nectar to Marriott
I had the same thing last year. I don’t know what the thrives are spending the points on – and I’m sure Sainsbury’s wouldn’t say – but unless it’s gift cards or something that can be voided, this must be costing them a fortune.
Had a chat with Nectar, who confirmed someone spent £2.05 using my Nectar card number. He then said that unless someone spends at least £5 the recipient doesn’t show the points total, so there was no risk they could then see my points balance to plunder. Not sure I agree with that, otherwise they would be spending more in the first place.
Anyway, my account is locked and I juts need to pick up a new card somewhere and register it and they will transfer my existing points to it.Nectar just create a new card with the last known amount on…. I mean, I get that in theory they are more safe in Avios… but Avios aren’t as forgiving as that!
I don’t want to know how much Nectar have thrown down the drain doing this, but I can’t believe they’ve never looked into it, because it’s been that simply to not only lose the points, but also get them refunded into a new account number for years/
Its still a rounding error on their massive financials. Otherwise someone wouldve been sacked by now.
Surely it cant cost much to add a simple 2FA?
Its still a rounding error on their massive financials. Otherwise someone wouldve been sacked by now.
Surely it cant cost much to add a simple 2FA?
Loads of Nectar customers don’t use the App or website though, they are happy just to collect a few thousand points as displayed on their receipt and then spend them. The whole point is you can just swipe and spend.
Last night, the previous person’s receipt and coupons were hanging out the till. I know that a card number ending xxxxxx has 15,000 points. Although I was more curious about their 5% back in Nectar Points “every time” before Christmas coupon.
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