Over 700,000 PC Optimum Points Vanished: How to Protect Your Rewards
Latest news on WhatsApp أجدد الأخبار على واتساب
Loyalty points can be easy to treat as a simple bonus, but an Ontario woman's experience shows why a large rewards balance should be protected much like other valuable digital accounts.
Mandy Campbell of Kincardine, Ontario, discovered in late July that more than 700,000 PC Optimum points she had spent almost a year collecting had disappeared. Her account showed the points had been redeemed at a Shoppers Drug Mart in Oakville, about a three-hour drive from where she was, for more than $1,000 worth of products, according to CityNews Toronto.
Campbell immediately reported the unauthorized transactions to Loblaw, which operates PC Optimum. Her points were eventually restored. Loblaw said its review found the unauthorized redemption was linked to unauthorized access to the customer's personal email account, rather than the cybersecurity incident the company disclosed in March.
One setting that could protect your points
The PC Optimum app allows members to lock point redemption while continuing to earn points. Redemption can then be unlocked when the customer is at the checkout and actually intends to use the balance. Campbell said she now recommends keeping redemption locked until it is needed.
Anyone who discovers missing points or an unfamiliar redemption should act quickly by contacting PC Optimum, securing both the loyalty account and the email address connected to it, changing compromised passwords and reviewing unfamiliar account access. PC Optimum provides customer support through its official website.
For a significant theft, consumers may also consider documenting the transactions and filing a police report. Campbell reported her case to police, and the investigation remained ongoing at the time of the CityNews report.
The takeaway: if you have accumulated a substantial PC Optimum balance, protecting the email connected to your account and keeping point redemption locked until checkout could help prevent months of rewards from disappearing in minutes.
