Woolworths has urged customers to provide their phone numbers as the supermarket prepares to set up two-factor authentication for its Everyday Rewards programme.
The ‘major change’ was announced last week and a new update to the app will roll out in the coming months.
Shoppers have been urged to manually enter their phone numbers into the app before the update is released to avoid disruptions to their rewards program.
They cannot access their account if they do not register their phone number.
Once the update is released, customers will receive a text message with a one-time code if they want to log into their Everyday Rewards account online.
A spokesperson for Everyday Rewards said the change will make shoppers “as safe as possible” as businesses fight back against the recent rise in scams.
The introduction of two-factor authentication is believed to be part of a wider security update for the supermarket and not in direct response to specific scams.
Used by platforms around the world, multi-factor authentication can effectively fend off hackers by adding an extra layer of identity verification to accounts.
Woolworths will soon require customers to add their phone numbers to the Everyday Rewards app
Woolworths temporarily suspended its Everyday Pay service from the Everyday Rewards app earlier this year after being targeted by a “sophisticated third-party phishing scam” in April.
The Everyday Rewards spokesperson confirmed that users without a registered phone number in their account will not be able to use the service after the update is released.
‘Because the verification codes are only sent to the mobile number associated with the Everyday Rewards account and not to the email address, we ask our members to ensure they have a current mobile number associated with their account,’ he said. Yahoo.
‘This will ensure the new process runs as smoothly as possible and avoid any disruption to access to their accounts.’
Everyday Rewards members can update their details via the website or app to ensure they have provided their phone number to Woolworths.
You can do this by selecting ‘My account’ in the app or website and then ‘My details’ or ‘Update account details’ to update their personal details.