A man in Japan has been arrested after scamming a food delivery app out of more than 1,000 free meals — by repeatedly claiming his orders never arrived.
Police in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, say 38-year-old Takuya Higashimoto pulled off the elaborate fraud over two years, costing the company more than 3.7 million yen (US$24,000).
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According to reports, Higashimoto placed 1,095 orders through a major delivery app, including meals like bento boxes, chicken steaks, and ice cream. Each time, he selected contactless delivery, ate the food, and then falsely reported through the app that his order had not been delivered — receiving a refund every time.
One of his latest attempts happened on July 30, when he allegedly created a new fake account on the app Demae-can, used a made-up name and address, and again claimed non-delivery. He was refunded 16,000 yen (US$105) the same day.
Investigators revealed that Higashimoto had been running the scam since April 2023, using 124 fake accounts registered under false names and prepaid phone numbers. He would open an account, make several fraudulent orders, and then delete it days later to avoid detection.
Police said the unemployed man confessed after being caught, telling investigators:
“At first, I just tried this trick. I couldn’t stop after reaping the rewards of my fraud.”
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The delivery platform Demae-can has since vowed to tighten its identity verification process and introduce new systems to flag suspicious refund patterns to prevent similar scams.
Online, many were stunned by the scheme’s scale — and persistence.
“He’s quite clever — opening 124 accounts takes dedication,” one commenter wrote.
Another added, “The app’s refund policy needs improvement. It’s too lenient.”
Authorities say the case has drawn attention to how easily food delivery refund systems can be abused, prompting several companies to review their own safeguards.
