Report: Hackers targeting Starbucks cards

The 16 million Starbucks customers who use the company's mobile payment service may want to strengthen their log-in credentials and reconsider using the auto-load feature, GeekWire reported Monday afternoon.

"Credit card hackers are targeting Starbucks gift card and mobile payment users around the country – and stealing from consumers' credit cards — with a new scam so ingenious they don't even need to know the account number of the card they are hacking," author and consumer reporter Bob Sullivan wrote on his site.

Sullivan explained the story of a 48-year-old Orlando woman, Maria Nistri, who was allegedly victimized in Orlando this month, having her card value drained, reloaded, then drained again – all in seven minutes.

The Starbucks Media Relations Team released the following statement:

"Thanks for reaching out. Customer security is incredibly important to us. We have safeguards in place to constantly monitor for fraudulent activity and, like all major retailers, work closely with financial institutions to make sure our customers are protected. We also encourage our customers to use several best practices to ensure their information is as protected as possible such as using strong passwords, unique user names/passwords for online accounts and changing their passwords often. Customers are not responsible for charges or transfers they did not make and if a customer’s Card is registered, their account balance is protected. If a customer sees unauthorized activity on their account, we encourage them to contact us immediately. "

Late last month, a Starbucks computer glitch led to free drinks for customers after they couldn't accept credit, debit or Starbucks card transactions.

The glitch affected registers at 7,400 company-operated stores in the U.S. and 1,000 in Canada, according to The Associated Press.

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