Woolworths shuts down Everyday payment system over scammer fears
Woolworths has shut down part of its Everyday Rewards app temporarily after users were targeted by sophisticated scammers who tricked them into giving away their personal details.
The supermarket giant revealed that a “small number” of customers had been targeted in a “sophisticated external phishing scam” relating to the Everyday Pay QR payment option on the app.
“Out of caution we proactively turned off the Everyday Pay QR payment option in-store while we investigated,” an Everyday Rewards spokesperson said.
Sign up to The Nightly's newsletters.
Get the first look at the digital newspaper, curated daily stories and breaking headlines delivered to your inbox.
By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.“We are now taking this opportunity to review and simplify our in-store Everyday Pay checkout experience, and as a result, QR payments may remain unavailable while we work through this process.
“We apologise to our Everyday Pay users for this inconvenience.”
The Nightly understands that regular card transactions and Everyday Rewards loyalty scans are not affected.
“We want to reassure our members that our Everyday Pay systems and data remain secure and have not been compromised,” the spokesperson said.
“While it was temporarily unavailable last week, the Everyday Pay wallet continues to be available for gift cards — which can be purchased, stored and used for in-store and online purchases.
“Scams are prevalent across Australia and we encourage all members to continue to be vigilant of unsolicited text messages or emails that they receive.”
Anyone who believes they have been targeted by scammers can head to the Federal Government’s ScamWatch website for help and resources.
If Everyday Pay users believe their accounts may have been accessed by unauthorised users, they can report it to the Everyday Pay team on 1300 10 1234.
