DoorDash and Uber Eats Scams: The Fake Driver Calls and Refund Tricks Targeting Customers

You just placed your order. The app shows it's confirmed, the restaurant is preparing it, and a driver is on the way. Then your phone rings. Someone says they're from DoorDash support, there's a problem with your payment, and they need to verify a few things.

That's not DoorDash. That's a scam.

Food delivery apps have become part of everyday life for tens of millions of people, and scammers have taken notice. The FTC reports that people lost $3.5 billion to imposter scams in 2025, including nearly $1 billion to business impersonators. DoorDash reported more than 42 million monthly active users worldwide in December 2024 and more than 56 million, including Deliveroo, in December 2025, making it one of the most recognizable names a scammer can hide behind. In one case, Stamford, Connecticut police said in 2023 that a man allegedly stole nearly $1 million from roughly 700 DoorDash drivers by posing as platform support, according to CBS New York.

Here's what the scams actually look like, why they work, and what you can do to protect yourself.

The fake "delivery issue" call

Picture this: your order is 20 minutes out when you get a call from someone claiming to be DoorDash or Uber Eats support. They say the restaurant flagged a payment issue or your card didn't go through. They need to re-verify your card number and security code to get your food out.

It sounds plausible. You're hungry, you're mid-transaction, and they already seem to know your order exists.

DoorDash says it will never ask for your one-time verification code or password, and Uber Eats says it will never call, text, or email you to request your password, verification code, or banking details. A call that asks for your card number, security code, or password is a phishing attempt. If you share that information, you've handed a stranger direct access to your payment details.

Phishing messages and calls often rely on urgency and a familiar brand name to lower your guard, and the FTC says scammers want to rush you. Delivery scams follow the same playbook. The timing isn't random. The call comes right when you're expecting something to happen with your account.

What to do: If you get an unexpected call claiming to be DoorDash or Uber Eats, hang up. Open the app directly and contact support from there. Do not call back any number given to you during the call.

Fake driver impersonation: the link you shouldn't click

A variation on the same scheme happens via text. You get a message that appears to be from your driver. They say the app isn't showing your correct address and ask you to click a link to share your location.

The link leads to a fake page meant to steal your login credentials or install something on your device. Calls and texts with your driver are routed through the app, and DoorDash says your phone number is masked from the Dasher. Be cautious about any message that asks you to click a link, log in, or share information outside the app.

Some versions of this scam send a spoofed message that looks like it's coming from the delivery platform itself, complete with an order number that matches your actual order. Scammers may know some details of your order, which can make the message feel real.

What to do: Ignore any link that didn't come through the app's official messaging system. If your driver actually can't find you, they can reach you through the app, and you'll see a notification from the app itself.

Phishing texts and emails: "Your account is suspended"

These tend to arrive with urgency baked in. The message says your account has been suspended, there's been unusual activity, or you have an unclaimed refund waiting. There's a link to "resolve" it.

The link takes you to a site that looks nearly identical to the real DoorDash or Uber Eats login page. You enter your credentials. The scammer now has them.

Delivery platforms are a natural target for this because customers expect to receive text notifications about their orders. Scammers mimic the format of real order updates, counting on the fact that you're in a mindset of waiting for messages. The visual design and urgency are crafted to make you act before you think.

What to do: Don't click links in unsolicited texts or emails. Go directly to the app or website by typing the address yourself. If something is actually wrong with your account, you'll see it there.

The refund abuse trick: a scam from the other side

Not every delivery scam is run against you. Some are run by customers against the platforms, and indirectly against drivers.

The setup is simple: place a legitimate order, receive the food, then report it as "never delivered" to get a full refund. Platforms know this happens widely enough that they've built specific policies around it. In a Q4 2023 survey of 1,016 U.S. adults by fraud prevention company Sift, 42% of Gen Z and 22% of millennials admitted to disputing a purchase they had received, according to The Paypers.

DoorDash announced in August 2024 that it would require customers to provide a four-digit PIN code to receive a delivery in certain situations, including, according to KRON4, when a customer frequently reports delivery problems.

This matters to genuine customers. If you've ever filed a legitimate missing-order claim and found the process skeptical or slow, this is part of why. The people gaming refund systems make the experience harder for everyone else.

Phantom deliveries: your food, someone else's doorstep

This one targets customers directly. A driver marks your order as delivered and uploads a photo as proof. The photo shows a doorstep, a door, maybe even a bag of food. It just is not your doorstep.

The scheme has evolved. TechCrunch reported a case in which a customer in Austin said a DoorDash driver accepted an order, immediately marked it as delivered, and submitted what appeared to be an AI-generated image as proof. DoorDash said it permanently removed the driver's account and made the customer whole, and that it has zero tolerance for fraud. The company did not confirm how the image was made.

DoorDash has been stepping up its defenses. According to DoorDash's December 2024 announcement, the company requires more than 150,000 Dashers to re-verify their identity each week through selfie checks, and select Dashers are asked to complete a real-time identity check during a dash. Monthly deactivations of inauthentic accounts have more than doubled compared with the prior year, and DoorDash says it prevents an average of 4,600 attempts per week by deactivated Dashers to regain access.

What to do: Turn on delivery notifications, track your order in real time, and report a missing delivery through the app right away. Uber Eats asks you to contact support within 48 hours, and DoorDash's help pages state no deadline, so do not wait. If a card was charged and the app does not resolve it, you can also dispute the charge with your card issuer. For credit cards, that means notice within 60 days of the first bill that shows the error.

Fake restaurant listings

Rare, but worth knowing. Fake restaurant listings have been documented on delivery platforms, including an Uber Eats listing in Victoria, BC at an address where no restaurant existed. The order was marked delivered and never arrived, and Uber Eats said it found fraudulent activity and closed the accounts. In France, Uber Eats called such cases extremely rare.

Red flags to watch for:

• A brand-new listing with no reviews
• Prices noticeably lower than comparable restaurants nearby
• Menu photos that look like stock images or are visually inconsistent
• A name that's close to a well-known chain but slightly off

How to protect yourself

Most food delivery scams follow predictable patterns, and knowing those patterns makes them easier to spot. A few habits that reduce your risk:

• Never share verification codes. If someone contacts you claiming to be DoorDash or Uber Eats support and asks for a one-time code sent to your phone, that's an account takeover attempt. Hang up.
• Use the app to reach your driver. Calls and texts with your driver should go through the app. A message asking you to click a link or log in is a warning sign.
• Go directly to the app. If you receive a message about your account being suspended or a refund waiting, do not click the link. Open the app separately and check for yourself.
• Enable two-factor authentication. It makes your account significantly harder to take over if your password is ever stolen.
• Report suspicious contacts. Tell DoorDash or Uber Eats through the app's help section, and report scams at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

The bottom line

Food delivery scams work because they arrive at the exact moment you are expecting something, your order, your driver, your refund, and they borrow that context to sound plausible. The fake support call is often timed to come right after you place an order. The phishing text uses language that mirrors what real platforms send.

The best protection is not paranoia. It's knowing the patterns. Delivery apps won't ask for your password or a one-time code, and a message asking you to log in or pay outside the app deserves a second look. A legitimate refund claim can be handled inside the app. Once you know how the scams are built, they are much easier to spot.

Conclusion

Food delivery scams work by borrowing the moment: you are waiting on an order, a driver, or a refund, so a message about it feels routine. You can break the pattern at any point. Hang up on unexpected calls, skip links in messages, open the app yourself, and never share a verification code. If something went wrong, contact support through the app and report the scam at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

Guardio doesn't stop delivery-app calls, but it covers a related risk. Many of these scams include a text or a link to a fake login page. Browsing protection on your computer and phone blocks phishing sites before they open and explains why, and Email Security flags phishing emails that get past the Gmail spam filter. No tool catches everything.

Get a free security scan with Guardio today and stay protected from phishing.