9 ways to make smarter passwords, hide your pin and avoid phishing
A Loblaws PC Plus and a Shoppers Drug Mart Optimum card are shown together in Toronto on Tuesday. Nov. 7. Loblaw Companies Ltd. (TSX:L) says it will merge Shoppers Optimum points and PC Plus points under the name PC Optimum starting in February. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graeme Roy
First there was the headache of having to collapse the old PC and Optimum points accounts into a new loyalty program. Now some PC Optimum rewards card holders are finding thieves have hacked their accounts and stolen their points.
It’s yet another headache for Loblaw’s public relations staff, who have also been getting an earful over the sign-up and distribution procedures for consumers to get a $25 gift card as an apology from the grocer for being involved in a long-lasting bread price-fixing scandal.
Here is the response from Catherine Thomas, Loblaw’s senior director of external communication who wants to reassure loyalty card holders that they are taking steps to help customers hit by these thefts. “We understand the concern and frustration some members have around longer-than-normal wait times to resolve their concern,” says Thomas. “Our team is committed to helping each and every person to safeguard their account and reinstate their points.”
READ: How to handle Loblaw’s request for extra ID to get your card
In the meantime, we offer nine tips on how to avoid having your points cache get hacked by thieves and fraudsters in the first place.