15.10.2025 22:57
A person in Japan was arrested for taking advantage of a security vulnerability in a popular food delivery app, ordering free meals for two years through 124 fake accounts. The suspect reported that the delivered orders "did not arrive," and received refunds totaling approximately 1 million TL for a total of 1,095 orders.
38-year-old Takuya Higashimoto, who lives in Japan, was arrested for allegedly using a security vulnerability in one of the country's largest food delivery platforms to order free meals for two years.
CAUSED 1 MILLION TL DAMAGE TO THE COMPANY
According to officials, Higashimoto created a total of 124 fake accounts starting from April 2023, placed 1,095 orders, and caused the company a loss of 3.7 million yen (approximately 1 million TL).
RECEIVED REFUNDS EVERY TIME
Higashimoto's method was simple but systematic. He checked the "contactless delivery" option during delivery and sent a notification through the app stating "my order did not arrive" after the food was left at the door. Due to the platform's automatic refund policy, he was able to quickly get a refund for each order.
THE LAST SCAM INVOLVED ICE CREAM AND CHICKEN STEAK
According to investigation records, Higashimoto's last fraud occurred on July 30. He ordered ice cream and chicken steak through a new account he opened with a fake name on the ordering platform. Despite the order being delivered, he sent a message to customer support saying "the product did not arrive" and received a refund of approximately 16,000 yen (about 4,400 TL).
USED DOZENS OF PHONE LINES
The police stated that the suspect purchased prepaid SIM cards to avoid detection, opened accounts with fake identification, and closed these accounts within a few days to cover his tracks. Higashimoto, who has reportedly been unemployed for years, is believed to have supported himself through this method.
"I COULDN'T STOP ONCE I TASTED IT"
In his statement while in custody, Higashimoto admitted his crime, saying that he initially just wanted to test whether the system had a vulnerability, but later made it a habit. Higashimoto stated, "At first, I was just curious. But once I tasted the free meals, I couldn't stop."
SECURITY MEASURES WILL BE TIGHTENED
Following the incident, officials from the ordering platform announced that changes would be made to the identity verification systems and that a new monitoring mechanism would be developed to detect suspicious orders. The company also plans to make user identity verification mandatory for the contactless delivery option.