A 38-year-old man in Japan has been arrested on suspicion of fraud after exploiting loopholes in a major food delivery platform, causing losses exceeding about RM111,000 (3.7 million yen / US$24,000).
Authorities in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, apprehended Takuya Higashimoto in early October for placing 1,095 orders through a food delivery service, consuming all the food but managing to avoid payment, according to Japan Times.
His scheme involved selecting contactless delivery and falsely claiming via the app that the food had not arrived, thereby unlawfully securing refunds.
One of his latest tricks occurred on 30 July, when Higashimoto created a new account on the delivery app Demae-can using a fake name and address. Although the ice cream, bentos, and chicken steaks were delivered, he used the app’s chat feature to claim they never arrived, successfully receiving a refund of around RM470 (16,000 yen / US$105) the same day.
Authorities revealed that Higashimoto, who has been unemployed for several years, operated 124 accounts on the platform to carry out his fraudulent activities since April 2023. He typically signed up and cancelled his membership a few days later to avoid detection.
His methods—purchasing numerous prepaid mobile cards, registering accounts with false identities, and quickly cancelling them—complicated efforts to trace him.
“At first, I just tried this trick. I couldn’t stop after enjoying the rewards of my fraud,” Higashimoto admitted to police.
Following the exposure, Demae-can pledged to strengthen its identity verification process and implement an alert system to detect abnormal activities to prevent future scams.
Netizens in China and Japan expressed shock at the audacity of the crime. One commented, “He is clever—I have to admit, opening so many accounts and manipulating the system is impressive.” Another said, “The platform’s refund policies are too lenient. They need stricter checks.”
Similar cases have been reported in China. Last year, three individuals in eastern Jiangsu province survived for a month with a combined total of only 19 yuan (RM11) in their bank accounts, taking turns ordering food and obtaining refunds by falsely claiming non-delivery. The trio were investigated by local police.
