An anonymous Slashdot reader shared this report from Business Insider:
Two men from the Fort Lauderdale, Florida, area defrauded Uber Eats out of more than $1 million over 19 months, according to local police.
The suspects carried out the scheme – which began in January 2022 – by creating fake accounts on the Uber Eats app to act as both a customer and a courier when placing grocery orders, it said. the Broward County Sheriff’s Office. said in a statement. It worked because Uber Eats provides couriers with prepaid cards that they can use to purchase up to $700 to complete customer orders.
Police say the suspects would pose as couriers for their fake grocery orders before canceling them and using the prepaid cards to purchase gift cards at stores.
According to the sheriff’s office“On January 24, 2023, detectives conducted a surveillance operation and observed Morgan and Blackwood traveling to 27 different Walgreens committing fraud that totaled a $5,013.28 loss for Uber that day. “
