Article Marketing / Communications 2 min read
Thursday Buzz: Starbucks’ Big Mobile-Fraud Problem
The company, which has seen much success with its mobile platform, is dealing with reports that hackers are stealing passwords—along with money from the credit card accounts connected to their Starbucks accounts. Also: How you can avoid flight delays.
Heads up: this content is over 5 years old, so some information may be out of date.
Remember, guys: This mobile payments stuff is harder than it looks.
The latest evidence comes from Starbucks, which is smarting from a report that password thieves got access to user accounts and then started running up massive bills on credit cards linked to them.
Independent journalist Bob Sullivan reported (opens in a new tab) that some users had hundreds of dollars stolen from their credit cards in minutes.
Maria Nistri told Sullivan that she launched her Starbucks app and watched money being siphoned from her account. “It was crazy. I was like, what in the world?” Nistri said. “I was lucky I happened to check my email when I did, otherwise who knows how much they would have gotten.”
Starbucks says it was not hacked; rather, user passwords were stolen externally. It recommends that app users take measures to stay secure.
“To protect their security, customers are encouraged to use different user names and passwords for different sites, especially those that keep financial information,” the company stated in a news release (opens in a new tab).
This scam is not the first lump Starbucks has taken on the mobile security front. Last year, the company was criticized for failing to encrypt passwords.
Infographic of the Day
Trying to avoid flight delays? This useful infographic from AirHelp (opens in a new tab) offers some insights as to the best and worst times to fly. Long story short: Morning is best.
Other Links of Note
Buzzy event of the day. Nintendo is bringing back its World Championships video game competition (opens in a new tab) after a quarter-century hiatus. The company will put on the event at next month’s Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles. It’s worth watching the video (opens in a new tab) created to promote the event’s return.
Here’s a tool you may have been missing from your Google Analytics reports, according to CMSWire: Enter the treemap (opens in a new tab).
Looking for some resources to help plan your next event? Capterra has a bunch for you to dig into (opens in a new tab).
(iStock/Thinkstock)
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