Accertify’s Stuart Mann on What QSR Operators Need to Know About Loyalty Fraud in Modern Restaurant Management

Loyalty programs have become an increasingly important part of how quick-service restaurants build customer relationships, drive repeat visits, and create more personalized digital experiences. But as restaurant apps bring together rewards, ordering, payments, and personal information, loyalty accounts are also becoming increasingly attractive targets for fraudsters.

In a new two-part Q&A with Modern Restaurant Management (read part 1 and part 2), Accertify’s Stuart Mann, Director of Fraud & Account Protection, discusses how loyalty fraud is evolving and what QSR operators can do to better protect their customers and brands.

In Part One, Mann explains why loyalty fraud has expanded well beyond the theft of points and rewards. Modern loyalty accounts can contain payment credentials, personal information, order histories, saved addresses, and other valuable data, giving fraudsters multiple ways to monetize a compromised account. Attacks can also begin well before a fraudulent transaction occurs, with credential stuffing and account takeover providing an entry point for broader abuse.

Mann argues that this evolution requires QSR operators to think about loyalty programs as customer identity platforms rather than simply marketing tools. Protecting them means looking across the customer lifecycle and recognizing how activity at login, within an account, and at the point of payment can connect to reveal patterns of fraud that may be difficult to identify in isolation.

In Part Two, Mann turns to the steps QSR operators can take to address these risks. He highlights stronger authentication methods such as passkeys and passwordless authentication, along with device intelligence, behavioral analytics, continuous monitoring, and greater collaboration between fraud, cybersecurity, payments, digital, and customer experience teams.

Importantly, stronger protection does not have to come at the expense of convenience. By understanding risk in context, operators can allow legitimate customers to move through loyalty experiences seamlessly while applying additional scrutiny when activity warrants it.

As loyalty programs become more deeply embedded in the digital restaurant experience, protecting them is ultimately about protecting the customer trust and long-term relationships those programs were designed to create.

Read part one of Stuart Mann’s Q&A in Modern Restaurant Management to learn why loyalty programs are becoming a growing fraud target.

Read part two of Stuart Mann’s Q&A in Modern Restaurant Management to learn about protecting loyalty accounts while maintaining a seamless customer experience.

Frequently asked questions about QSR loyalty fraud

What is loyalty fraud in quick-service restaurants?
Loyalty fraud in quick-service restaurants happens when fraudsters abuse restaurant rewards programs to steal points, take over customer accounts, misuse stored payment methods, or access personal information tied to loyalty profiles.

Why are QSR loyalty programs targeted by fraudsters?
QSR loyalty programs are attractive to fraudsters because customer accounts often contain rewards balances, saved payment credentials, order history, addresses, and other personal data that can be monetized through account takeover or fraudulent transactions.

How does account takeover impact restaurant loyalty programs?
Account takeover can allow fraudsters to access a customer’s rewards, stored payment methods, personal information, and purchase history. For restaurants, this can create financial losses, customer service issues, and damage to brand trust.

How can QSR operators prevent loyalty fraud?
QSR operators can help prevent loyalty fraud by combining stronger authentication, device intelligence, behavioral analytics, continuous account monitoring, and closer collaboration across fraud, cybersecurity, payments, digital, and customer experience teams.

Can restaurants reduce loyalty fraud without hurting the customer experience?
Yes. Restaurants can reduce loyalty fraud without adding unnecessary friction by using contextual risk signals to identify suspicious activity while allowing trusted customers to move through loyalty, ordering, and payment experiences smoothly.

Why should restaurants treat loyalty programs as customer identity platforms?
Restaurants should treat loyalty programs as customer identity platforms because these accounts now connect rewards, payments, ordering behavior, personal data, and digital engagement. This broader view helps operators detect fraud earlier across the customer lifecycle.

How does Accertify help restaurants protect loyalty accounts? Accertify helps restaurants and other businesses protect digital accounts, payments, and customer experiences by identifying fraud risk across customer interactions, including login, account activity, loyalty engagement, and transactions. www.accertify.com