Creating Accounts, Repeating "Refund → Withdrawal"
Delivery Platform: "We Will Strengthen Identity Verification"
A Japanese man in his 30s has been arrested on charges of exploiting a food delivery platform's refund policy to consume food without paying. The number of orders he placed reached 1,095, with damages amounting to approximately 3.7 million yen (about 35 million won).
According to the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post (SCMP) and other sources on October 14, police in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, recently apprehended Higashimoto Takuya (38) on suspicion of consuming all the food he ordered through a delivery platform without paying for it.
Lied About "No Delivery"...Exploited Loopholes in Refund System
Photo of delivery food ordered from a food delivery platform is unrelated to the content. Yonhap News
Investigations revealed that Higashimoto selected the contactless delivery option on the platform and then falsely claimed that the food had not arrived, receiving refunds as a result. For example, on July 30, after receiving deliveries of ice cream, lunch boxes, and chicken steak, he used the app's chat function to insist that the order had not been delivered and was refunded 16,000 yen (about 150,000 won) the same day.
Police believe that since April 2023, Higashimoto used 124 different accounts on the platform to commit these fraudulent acts. He also paid with prepaid cards to conceal his identity and quickly deleted accounts to erase traces, indicating a highly calculated approach. During police questioning, Higashimoto reportedly admitted, "At first, I just tried this method. After paying the price for fraud, I couldn't stop."
Strengthening Identity Verification...Building Systems to Prevent Similar Fraud
After the incident came to light, the delivery platform announced, "We will significantly strengthen our identity verification procedures," and began preparing countermeasures. The company also stated that it is building an alert system to detect abnormal transaction activity and prevent similar fraud in the future.
Online commenters who learned of the case responded critically, saying, "He should have spent that time working," "He sure is diligent," "The refund policy is too lenient; the platform is also largely responsible," "If you can't afford it, you shouldn't eat," and "He ate a lot, too."
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