Two hackers managed to hack the online delivery platform Uber Eats and steal more than two million euros between 2022 and 2023. To do this, the perpetrators, both aged in their twenties, went through the encrypted Telegram network we learn from Parisian. We'll explain it to you.
The principle of fraud is simple and the mechanics well-established. The “modern Robin Hoods” of meal delivery offered half-price meals via a Telegram channel. Customers interested in this offer were invited to pay 50% of the actual price of their order, but in cryptocurrency. A stratagem implemented in Ile-de-France as well as in the provinces.
A clever ploy against the backdrop of cryptocurrency
Once the money was received, the hackers placed an order on Uber Eats for the full amount and had the meals delivered. However, once delivery was confirmed, they reported to the platform that the order had never been received. The American giant with impeccable customer service then reimbursed the transaction in full. The stratagem thus allowed the customer to enjoy a meal at a reduced price, while the platform paid restaurateurs and delivery people as if nothing had happened. And the difference fell directly into the pockets of the crooks.
Cyber police to the rescue
Infallible as a system? Not exactly. Alerted by an unexplained shortfall, Uber Eats filed a complaint in early 2023. Cybercrime experts from the Paris gendarmerie were put on the case and by following the trail of cryptocurrency transactions, they quickly updated the organized system of fraud.
On November 19, the two suspects were arrested simultaneously in Île-de-France and Loire-Atlantique. During searches, authorities found no physical loot, since everything was stored in digital wallets. Although both have denied the facts, the two hackers are also suspected of having sold tutorials in PDF format which detail their method.
Read the latest news on the Uber platform
Faced with this massive fraud, Uber Eats has strengthened its control systems and intensified monitoring of social networks. The company works closely with law enforcement to identify possible new fraudulent practices.
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