Man Detained for Repeatedly Defrauding Food Delivery Drivers for Profit

CNBC AI News, July 6 — In an era where convenience is king, a concerning trend emerges: exploiting the very systems designed to serve consumers. Recently, a case has come to light involving a man who allegedly defrauded multiple food delivery couriers through a pattern of fraudulent refund claims, a scheme that briefly garnered significant online attention.

Reports indicate that the individual placed multiple orders on a food delivery platform, only to subsequently request refunds citing reasons such as “delivery not to the specified address” or “lost goods.” This tactic, designed to illicitly profit, ultimately led to his administrative detention for 10 days by Beijing Chaoyang police on suspicion of fraud.

Today, Meituan’s official account, “What Tuantuan Says,” provided further details on the case.

According to the public statement, the man placed three orders on the Meituan platform on May 6th, May 18th, and June 5th, purchasing apparel accessories like trousers and belts. After receiving the items, he initiated refund requests, claiming non-delivery to the designated location, and illegally profited a total of 373.11 yuan.

Beyond the three orders mentioned in initial reports, Meituan’s internal verification revealed that this particular user had placed a total of 11 orders on the platform since April. Of these, six orders were flagged as suspected “malicious compensation,” which includes the three orders previously highlighted. Four orders were voluntarily canceled, and only one, a small order for 5.89 yuan, was confirmed as normally received.

The six “malicious compensation” orders aggregated to a total value of 678.91 yuan. Notably, the delivery addresses for these orders were vaguely specified as “a certain community’s security room.” Shortly after the deliveries, the user consistently claimed non-receipt of goods to initiate refunds.

Consequently, the user’s Meituan account has been restricted from placing further orders by the platform.

Meituan emphasized that such fraudulent refund activities not only disrupt the platform’s operational integrity but also negatively impact the delivery personnel’s work and the merchants’ business operations.

To combat this, Meituan has established a specialized task force dedicated to addressing malicious refund schemes and is collaborating with law enforcement agencies to resolutely crack down on such practices.

This year alone, the platform has proactively identified and intercepted millions of fraudulent compensation attempts, saving merchants over 42 million yuan in losses. Furthermore, in cooperation with local public security organs, Meituan has assisted in investigating 18 cases involving extortion and malicious claims, leading to the apprehension of over 20 individuals.