Portuguese 
English 
Spanish 
2 min of reading 
0 comments 
Investigators Reveal That the Japanese Man Used 124 Fake Accounts, Prepaid Cards, and the Contactless Delivery Option to Deceive the App and Obtain Free Meals for Over Two Years
A 38-year-old Japanese man was arrested after exploiting a flaw in a food delivery app’s system and managing to consume over 1,000 meals without paying.
The case occurred in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, and involved an operation that lasted more than two years, causing significant losses to the platform.
How the Scammer Operated
Takuya Higashimoto exploited the cancellation policy of the Demae-can app. He created accounts with fake names and addresses, used prepaid cards, and canceled his subscriptions a few days later. This strategy made it difficult to identify him and allowed him to repeat the scam over a long period.
-
The village that stores rice for 100 years without selling a single grain: Indonesian community transforms food into sacred heritage, keeps barns untouched for generations, and reveals an ancestral tradition created to face hunger, crisis, and an uncertain future.
-
One of the happiest countries in the world goes on population alert: Switzerland returns to the top 10, tries to cap the population at 10 million inhabitants, and faces expensive rent, migratory pressure, infrastructure at its limit, and the risk of conflict with the European Union.
-
Brazil could be short of 235,000 teachers by 2040: young people are abandoning teaching degrees, the number of teachers aged up to 24 has dropped by 42%, and schools are already facing difficulties in finding professionals for strategic subjects.
-
A train or a hotel? Installed on a historic bridge, the Kruger Shalati attracts tourists by operating inside a train suspended over a river; the establishment combines luxury accommodations, a pool with a view of nature, and the opportunity to observe South Africa’s wildlife.
The investigation revealed that Higashimoto utilized 124 different accounts, which prevented quick blocks and facilitated the continuation of the fraud. In total, the losses exceeded 3.7 million yen, equivalent to about $24,000.
Fake Refunds and Scheme Repetition
The scammer always selected the contactless delivery option. As soon as he received the food, he claimed that the order had not arrived and requested a refund. In a case registered on July 30, he created a new account and managed to get back 16,000 yen after claiming that ice creams, bento boxes, and chicken steaks had not been delivered.
Higashimoto admitted to the police that he started out of curiosity and continued after realizing that the scheme was working. The practice extended for years while he remained unemployed.
Arrest and Changes to the Platform
Police finally apprehended the man earlier this month. He is now facing formal charges of fraud. The case led the Demae-can app to implement a new alert system to identify suspicious activities and prevent similar scams from happening in the future.
-
1 person reacted to this.