A woman in Regina who ordered pizza over the weekend was shocked to learn her delivery driver made off with more than a generous tip.
A scammer, posing as a pizza delivery man, stole one woman’s savings and could have more victims.
“It’s probably going to be pickups from now on for anything that I do,” said Tara Miller.
On Saturday, she had some friends over and ordered a pizza from Domino’s Pizza for delivery.
She said nothing seemed out of the ordinary when her order arrived.
Miller said $1,500 was stolen from her bank account, and the thief tried to deposit a fake cheque to get more money.
Luckily, Miller isn’t out any cash; Scotiabank has agreed to reimburse her for the loss, she said.
Regina police’s financial crimes unit is investigating. In an email to Global News, spokesperson Christeen Shire wrote it appears fraud took place.
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“At this point, it appears that the ‘scammer’ does not seem to be associated with either the restaurant or a legitimate delivery service (such as Skip The Dishes or DoorDash),” Shire wrote.
“Instead, the individual somehow obtained delivery information from the business and then posed as a delivery person for the customer.”
Another incident in Saskatoon
The next day, a similar incident happened to Patricia Cooke in Saskatoon when she ordered delivery from Domino’s.
She said the driver had a card reader with him, but when she tried to pay the machine said it was declined.
“He took out a card (and gave it to me),” she said. “I realized after a few minutes, thank goodness I realized it wasn’t even our bank card.”
She said she chased after the alleged thief, but he drove away before she could catch up to him.
Cooke said she immediately locked her debit card, but someone tried to withdraw $200 later that day and was unable to.
For Miller, she said it’s hard to trust debit machines anymore.
“I’m scared to use it,” she said. “I actually get severe anxiety right before I have to use a debit machine now.”
Miller said she wants restaurants to be more aware of who is picking up food, and check the driver’s ID.
In an email to Global News, Domino’s Pizza said it’s working with local authorities on these incidents.
“We have increased our practice of contacting customers before a delivery providing them with the name of the delivery expert which should be confirmed when the delivery expert arrives,” wrote vice-president of marketing Jeffrey Kacmarek.
“If a person attempts to deliver a Domino’s order and is not wearing a Domino’s uniform, and does not have a Domino’s hot bag, customers should refuse the order and contact their local store immediately.”
Regina police suggested people check their bank accounts periodically to look for any unusual transactions or charges, and if anything seems out of the ordinary to contact police.
“Ensure the delivery person at your door can provide identification from the business you have ordered from,” police wrote in an email.
Police added people should be aware of how their credit or bank cards are being handled during transactions at the door.
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