More than 72% loyalty programs are at risk of scam. In this article we will cover the most popular types of scam made by company workers and clients.

Neat trick

This is the most prevailing scam widely used in electronics stores, shops of household appliances and other goods of high cost. Let us say, a client buys a washing machine for 300$ and then leaves the store. A cashier makes a fake return of the goods, and as a result you get excess funds in the cashbox that is equal to the cost of so called returned goods — 300$.

Then the cashier sells the goods again though using loyalty programs perks specially planned for this occasion, for example, saved bonus cards, additional discounts or coupons. Thus, the price of the goods turns out to be lower like 250$. And in this very case, the difference in the amount of 50% is being kept in the pocket of a dishonest but witty seller.

Bonus card scam

It’s a favorite trick made by super store workers where there are tons of visitors who can be so easily distracted. Generally, at the cashier a client usually is busy packing things. And the most he or she can keep an eye on is the money or a credit card. There is simply no time to control the manipulations concerning the bonus card.

Slight of hands — a worker takes a client’s bonus card and then at the most critical moment replaces it with his or her own. Points the client should have gotten easily go to the worker. 90% of clients don’t track down the point movement concerning bonus cards, that’s why such schemes are pretty hard to figure out.

This scheme is working even if a client doesn’t have a loyalty card.

Paper scam

A paper or cardboard brochure a seller puts labels or stamps on is an easy and rather cheap way to stimulate a regular client. A client gets bonuses, discounts or free goods for the certain number of stamps.

Such a loyalty program is very easy to put into practice though it’s hardly protected from scam. Stamps are easy to be faked by as well as program members as sellers. The last ones can easily give it out, sell or keep to themselves. In this very case, it’s extremely difficult to track this scheme down.

For example, Subway realized that their loyalty program of this kind hadn’t worked out only when the number of sandwiches given out in accordance with it started to exceed the number of the sold ones.