A leading supermarket chain in Canada has informed members of its loyalty program that their personal details were compromised in a cyber attack. Save-On-Foods, a grocery chain in Western Canada, detected unauthorized access to one of its servers on October 13. The breach was swiftly contained, prompting an investigation in collaboration with a cybersecurity specialist. Customers enrolled in the More Rewards program received an email notification regarding the incident, stating that their names, addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, and dates of birth were potentially accessed.
Although the exact number of impacted customers was not disclosed by Save-On-Foods, the Pattison Food Group, the chain’s parent company, disclosed that the More Rewards program boasts over 3.5 million members. Online shoppers at Save-On-Foods are required to be part of the More Rewards program, which provides exclusive discounts to members. The email assured customers that, based on current information, no sensitive data like credit card details or passwords were compromised.
While the breach raises concerns about phishing attacks, experts warn that cybercriminals could leverage the stolen personal information to carry out convincing scams. Criminals commonly exploit employee errors, such as clicking on malicious links or downloading malware, to gain access to corporate networks. Loyalty programs like More Rewards often supply ample details for scammers to execute realistic fraud schemes.
Community reactions on various online platforms showed frustration with loyalty programs that collect personal information, citing potential corporate data selling and increased vulnerability to cybercrime. Users who attempted to change their passwords following the breach notification reportedly encountered technical issues. Save-On-Foods advised More Rewards members to stay vigilant against suspicious calls or messages and emphasized that the company would never request passwords, banking details, or other sensitive information through unsolicited communications.
Save-On-Foods has affirmed that it notified relevant authorities and privacy regulators about the breach incident. The Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner for B.C. was contacted for confirmation but did not respond before the article’s publication.