International No Diet Day… everyone’s favorite day of the year! Well maybe not everyone’s. It is the day we set aside our diet for the day and order whatever we want… Surely nothing could go wrong on a great day like this right?!
In the past the only options for food delivery were pizza and possibly some Chinese take-out, but now we have several options to choose from with delivery services like DoorDash, Grubhub, Uber Eats, and Postmates. Demand for these services grew during the pandemic and continue to gain popularity, but with the rise of third party food delivery services criminals have more opportunity to steal from you. These criminals typically do not steal for a large profit, but instead they go for the product. The food itself. This third-party dynamic is unique in that it opens up all three parties for fraud opportunities (the consumer, the driver, and the business).
How do they target you as the third-party delivery driver?
- Customers will order food through your services, receive the food in a timely manner with no issues, then write a complaint against you in order to receive their money back and keep the food in the process. This will likely cause you to have a lower rating (less likely to be chosen for future orders from others), as well as cause loss of wages when the delivery is refunded to the consumer. If you believe it was done with ill intent, you may want to dispute the rating and file for lost wages.
How do they target you as the consumer?
- Account takeover: fraudsters will use your delivery information to use your loyalty points to cash in for a meal without your knowledge. Although the delivery driver of these third-party services only get minimal information from your account in order to pick up and deliver your orders, they may have enough to grab a free meal. Be sure to check your account and loyalty points after each order and report any discrepancies immediately.
- Fake Websites: do your research and read reviews before ordering from a restaurant you have never ordered from before. Fraudsters will create fake ordering sites online and no one is the wiser until the delivery driver shows up and realizes it was all a scam.
How do they target your business?
- Chargeback fraud: fraudsters will order a meal then claim they never received it to get their money back. With the option of no contact delivery, it is sometimes hard to disprove their claims. It could also be a case of credit card theft where someone will use a stolen card to make orders then cancel once they receive the meal to avoid detection from the owner of the card. Research technology that can protect you from high-risk transactions, shifting liability to the card issuer, as opposed to landing on your business.
- Taking more: third-party delivery drivers will pick-up more orders than what they are there to deliver for. The other possibility is that someone not even affiliated with the delivery company will claim to be there for a pick-up and keep the food for themselves. Be sure to train employees on verifying delivery information before handing out orders to anyone.
Delivery services can be a life saver, but make sure you protect yourself and your information.