Used by one in two French people, meal delivery whets the appetite of scammers. And to bait gourmets, all means are permitted, even if it means creating fake restaurants on the Uber Eats and Deliveroo platforms. The ploy is well-oiled: the crooks create fake profiles with photos of hearty and appetizing dishes to bring as many people as possible to their website. If necessary, promotional offers are used to definitively convince the customer to order, reports TF1.
Once the prey is hooked, the scammer of course cashes the order before canceling it a few moments later without valid reason. Duped, the customer will neither receive their order nor see their money again. Unlike other more sophisticated scams, the risk of losing big with these “fake restaurants” remains limited but these traps can damage the confidence of the French in the platforms supposed to guarantee their security.
Because while Uber Eats and Deliveroo of course require documents to register an establishment on their respective platforms, criminals manage to circumvent the law without too much trouble. “We do not tolerate any practice of this type and we immediately launch an internal investigation to shed full light on each situation described. In the case of proven fraud, the partner restaurant is permanently deactivated,” Uber Eats wants to reassure TF1.
To avoid falling into the trap, the golden rule is to make sure that the restaurant you have chosen actually exists. Take a few minutes to check its address and take a look at the reviews. Abnormally low prices or super promotions should also alert you.
