A self-proclaimed points collector from Toronto with about four million PC Optimum points to his name was shocked to discover that his account had been hacked and that someone was spending his reward money.
James Spencer belongs to a number of loyalty programs and has been collecting Optimum points from Shoppers Drug Mart and PC points from President’s Choice since the 1990s.
“I’m a collector of points,” he told CTV News Toronto. “I enjoy filling the points up so that one day I can turn it into a bigger purchase and enjoy the return on it."
When the Optimum and PC loyalty programs merged this year, Spencer said he had about four million PC Optimum points worth about $4,000.
In October, Spencer logged in to his account and discovered something odd.
“When I signed in, it was like I never existed. It took me straight to the enrollment page,” he said.
His account had been hacked and nearly $1,900 were used fraudulently.
When Spencer contacted PC Optimum, he was told the thieves had used his points to buy video game consoles. The investigation, Spencer said, dragged on for over a month.
“This is a lot of money that I've invested to have what I have and if I could lose it all, it's upsetting,” he said.
After CTV News Toronto reached out to Loblaws, a spokespersons said that the program had restored the points that Spencer had lost.
“We’ve been in touch with this customer…in an attempt to resolve his issue. We understand his frustration and apologize for the delay,” said Catherine Thomas, senior director of external communications with Loblaws, said in a statement. “His current balance is more than $4,000.”
Loblaws also told CTV News Toronto it is continuing to add new security measures and password requirements to protect accounts from potential hackers.
With files from CTV News Toronto's Pat Foran
