Overview
- Report Fraud logged a sharp rise in complaints mentioning Argos, recording 652 reports in May after 154 in April and 1,175 reports so far in 2026.
- Fraudsters buy leaked usernames and passwords from past breaches and run them en masse on retail sites in a tactic known as credential stuffing to take over real customer accounts.
- Once inside accounts criminals place high-value orders and pick them up in person using click-and-collect, sometimes paying with payment details not linked to the victim.
- Experts urge shoppers to use unique passwords, enable two-factor authentication, check for unexpected order confirmations, and contact Argos or Report Fraud immediately to try to halt fulfilment.
- Retail specialists say merchants should flag dormant accounts, verify new-device or high-value orders, and add extra checks before releasing click-and-collect items to reduce this form of account takeover.