manual input of you loyalty card number,is it safe?

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thedaras

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HI, I overheard a conversation ,which caused me to question allowing my loyalty card,,details to be put in by the sales assistant as opposed to it being swiped.
It was said that if your card doesnt swipe ,then the assistant has to input it manualy,which means in effect ,they COULD put in any clubcard number.ie; not the one on the card,ie;their own card number.
I dont know if its true,but I would expect it COULD be done ,which doesnt mean it HAS been done.
I would suggest that you take note of the last few digits on you card and check your recipt.
Has anyone come across this happening or is it urban legend?
 
I used to work in a supermarket and there was whispers that certain staff used to learn off their own code and imput that. It would be pretty easy to do it every transaction, if you don't fully swipe the card it won't imput the number, meaning you could do it every time.
 
Your receipt shows the number of points earned on each transaction so its quite easy to see and check.
 
Sue Ellen said:
Your receipt shows the number of points earned on each transaction so its quite easy to see and check.
Click to expand...

Exactly.

I've recently had some involvement with a POS system (as an IT consultant), what the OP has said is possible, I wonder do all loyalty cards print details to the receipt? But equally it would be very easy for a store to have a report to monitor the number of transactions per loyalty card if they suspected something like this.
 
Some store cards don't have your overall balance ie Dunnes. Tesco do, but Dunnes don't display this information. Very easy to forget to check that its your card number, you just kinda assume.
 
The problem from the employees perspective is once the store goes looking for something like this then they will more than likely get caught even if it is a year later - all the informotion is there track it.
 
It never crossed my trusting mind to harbour such suspicions.

One thing that would make it less likely to happen is to restrict employee cards so that they can be used only to qualify for a discount at the checkout, and not accumulate points. Of course, you can't easily restrict employees' family or friends.
 
Exactly, family can also use/have these cards, so how can you say for sure that J.Blogg's mother doesn't shop once a day, every day, in that store!
 
Sue Ellen said:
Your receipt shows the number of points earned on each transaction so its quite easy to see and check.
Click to expand...


quote)" I would suggest that you take note of the last few digits on you card and check your recipt."(quote)thedaras
Thats why I wrote the above
 
So, apply for a card using a bogus name and your friend's temporary accommodation. Learn the card number. If a customer doesn't have a card, input your own details. Can't track that.
 
They can if they insist employees login on/off tills with credentials or swipe. Plus if you look at supermarket CCTV's, a significant number are directed at the staff, so with a date & time than see who was on what till either from the POS system or CCTV.

There are products available to monitor this sort of activity, they are very sophisticated - e.g. for analysing refund patterns etc.
 
ah i remember the joys of the club card working in dunnes I still know the start of the card number because i had to type it in so often 601789010012/3 xxxx

I know back then that staff were entitled to 5% rather than 1% back on purchases but it would become fairly apparent therefore if they were doing it a lot especially making purchases during working hours. i think you always had to scan a staff card though, could be wrong but I have a vague memory of that
 
Sandrat, I remember that number too, I think its ingrained in my memory.

Back in 'my day', the staff card was the same as a normal one, and swiped.
 
I can't help it being so young! I think you had to be there a year to get a special card and your mammy got one too!
 
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