Consumer Alert: Reward program warning

When you’re out to eat, protecting your identity may not be your top priority. But a scam caught by U.S. Postal Inspectors, shed light on how the criminal was using a restaurant rewards program, to commit fraud.

In one case, Postal Inspectors say a waiter was offering customers to join the restaurant’s rewards program.

He would then take the information, along with the check and payment to the back. Once there, he made copies of the application and credit card. That gave him all the information he needed to steal identities and start spending other people’s money.

Postal inspectors say, joining a rewards program can be beneficial and it’s fine to give your name, number and email, but if you can, avoid giving your birth date.

Or if they need it to sign you up, change the year. Also make sure you check your credit report once a year for free, to make sure no one has gotten their hands on your information.