Summary:
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Viral posts show users using AI to fake raw delivery meals, causing restaurants and drivers financial losses.
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Restaurant owners discuss customers using AI to scam with fake complaints and photos of altered food.
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Delivery apps like DoorDash are cracking down on fraudulent refund claims through automated systems, affecting legitimate customers.
Viral posts across TikTok, Instagram, Threads, and Facebook show users employing AI image editors and chatbots to manipulate photos of delivery meals, turning fully cooked food into images that appear raw or spoiled. Restaurants and drivers say they are the ones absorbing the cost.
One widely shared example shows a cooked cheeseburger in one frame and, in the next, a digitally altered version with a gray, uncooked center. The customer claimed the AI-generated photo convinced DoorDash support to issue a refund, according to the Daily Dot. Other screenshots show users bragging about using AI tools to fabricate “undercooked” meals to secure credits.
On tiktok people are sharing how to use ai to scam restaurants
byu/Weebuang inantiai
Restaurant owners say the tactic is spreading beyond DoorDash. In the subreddit r/restaurantowners, operators discuss customers using “AI image editors to make cooked meal delivery food look raw,” calling it a growing form of fraud. Some videos break down the method step by step: photograph the food, run it through an AI editor, pair it with a complaint—sometimes also chatbot-written—and request a refund.
Commenters in anti-AI forums have called the trend theft and noted the potential legal risks, with some users questioning whether falsifying images for refunds constitutes fraud.
The issue is colliding with another shift: delivery apps increasingly rely on automated systems. Uber says its Risk Entity Watch platform uses machine learning to flag suspicious refund behavior.
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DoorDash users report that automated support bots now aggressively request photo evidence and frequently deny claims, a change many believe stems from a rise in fraudulent complaints.
@DoorDash_Help @DoorDash refused to refund an order that was incorrect, even though I am a homeless mother using limited funds to feed my child. Their automated system denied me help. I’m asking for a human review of my case because this event genuinely hurt us. pic.twitter.com/j1Fb9rOmPp
— The.MissM (@MuskyBaby) November 17, 2025
For restaurants, a successful fake refund often results in lost food and lost pay. Uber’s merchant documentation notes that when the company issues a refund, it may adjust the restaurant’s payout. Drivers say they also face consequences, including deactivation or reduced earnings, when fraudulent customer complaints are approved.
Industry forums and LinkedIn posts suggest AI-enabled refund fraud is rising, prompting fears that delivery platforms could tighten refund policies. That could make it harder for legitimate customers to get help when orders are genuinely incorrect or unsafe.
