Starbucks has denied its mobile app has been hacked in the face of scores of customers who have seen their accounts drained.

Instead, Starbucks is blaming the losses on weak passwords. The company contends that hackers have uncovered numerous passwords and the victims are responsible themselves for using the same password among numerous sites.

Victims commonly receive emails saying the passwords and login details for Starbucks’ mobile app had been reset before receiving notice of fraudulent transactions.

The coffee chain suggested the isolated reports of fraudulent activity on customers’ online accounts are down to password re-use or other lax security practices by its clients.

"Starbucks takes the obligation to protect customers’ information seriously. News reports that the Starbucks mobile app has been hacked are false.

Like all major retailers, the company has safeguards in place to constantly monitor for fraudulent activity and works closely with financial institutions.

To protect the integrity of these security measures, Starbucks will not disclose specific details but can assure customers their security is incredibly important and all concerns related to customer security are taken seriously.

Occasionally, Starbucks receives reports from customers of unauthorized activity on their online account. This is primarily caused when criminals obtain reused names and passwords from other sites and attempt to apply that information to Starbucks.

To protect their security, customers are encouraged to use different user names and passwords for different sites, especially those that keep financial information."

Starbucks further said in a statement: “customers are not responsible for charges or transfers they did not make. If a customer’s Starbucks Card is registered, their account balance is protected”, so those who have been left out of pocket will hopefully get their money back.

That is not so for victims that have seen fraudulent charges on their credit cards.

Source: The Register.UK