How to spot food delivery scams during football season - Dining and Cooking

Scammers pose as app support to steal one-time codes and take over accounts

How to spot food delivery scams during football season (KSAT)

SAN ANTONIO – Football season means families, classmates and friends are gathering around the TV and likely ordering take-out food through a food delivery app.

Unfortunately, scammers are also lurking to catch victims when they least expect it.

Here’s what to know about food delivery app scams:

Impersonation and phishing calls/texts: Scammers call or text users while pretending to be support from apps like Uber Eats or DoorDash. They claim there is a problem with your order, payment, or account and ask for one-time verification codes, passwords or banking details.

Hacked account and fake restaurant orders: Fraudsters take over a customer’s account and place large, unauthorized orders from a fake “ghost kitchen” or shell restaurant that they control, collecting the money without ever delivering real food.

Ghost kitchen deception: Restaurants use deceptive names on delivery apps (such as a major chain running a hidden sub-brand), or completely fake local kitchens operate out of unverified locations like the back of gas stations to sell low-quality or non-existent meals.

False refund complaints (friendly fraud): Customers order food, pick it up or eat it, and then falsely claim to customer service that the food never arrived or was unsatisfactory to trigger an automated refund at the expense of the restaurant.

Driver and merchant equipment scams: Fraudsters target drivers or restaurant owners by offering free gear (like a tablet or printer), then demanding personal data, Social Security numbers, or login credentials to “verify” the shipment.

Unordered single-item deliveries: Fraudsters send random, single-item food deliveries to unsuspecting targets as part of a setup to contact them or trick drivers into revealing account access.

If you do happen to fall victim to any of these scams, below are a couple of things you can do to stop the problem before it gets worse:

Never share verification codes: Real support agents from DoorDash, Uber Eats or Grubhub will never call, text, or email asking for a one-time password (OTP) or your login credentials.

Use official channels: If you receive an alert about your account or order, close the message and open the official mobile app or website directly to check your status.

Enable two-factor authentication (2FA): Protect your food delivery accounts with strong, unique passwords and multi-factor authentication.

Monitor your statements: Regularly check your credit card and bank statements for unfamiliar charges or strange order histories.