TROY, Mich. (WXYZ) — A 72-year-old Troy man is locked out of his DoorDash account and cut off from several thousand dollars in earnings after a scammer called him while he was on a delivery run, posing as a DoorDash fraud department representative.
Watch Jolie Sherman's video report:
"I feel kind of hopeless," the man said.
The man and his wife asked not to be identified, citing privacy concerns. He said he had just picked up an order from a nearby Chipotle and was on his way to a Taco Bell when his phone rang, and the caller ID displayed "DoorDash."
"The gentleman who called, saying... he works in the Fraud Department," he said.
Troy Police said the incident happened on Friday, June 12. According to police, the scammer told the man his account was compromised and that they needed the card information on his DoorDash Crimson Card — a debit-style card where earnings are deposited after every dash.
Police say the dasher provided the information.
"Once they [the scammer] did that, he [the DoorDasher] realized he didn't have access to his own debit account," Troy Police Dept. Sgt. John Julian said.
Julian said while he has not seen this specific type of scam before, scams in general are becoming increasingly more common. He urged people to recognize the warning signs before it is too late.
"Unfortunately, scammers are becoming increasingly sophisticated; they want you to think emotionally, before you have time to think critically. They put you under a time pressure, make you fearful," Julian said.
DoorDash provided a statement on the incident:
We know scammers are always trying to target hard-working people, including Dashers, and it's why we're working hard to combat it. Here's what Dashers need to know: DoorDash will NEVER contact you to ask for your password, verification codes or sensitive information like bank details over phone, text or email. Period. If someone does or you think it's suspicious, hang up and report it directly through the app immediately.
This type of scam can happen when a scammer places an order and then calls the dasher through the app, which can make the call appear as if it is coming from DoorDash. However, DoorDash does play a warning before connecting these calls.
The man, who had been dashing for five years, said he is now uncertain whether he will recover the money.
"I not only have no access to my payments in the Crimson account. Worse than that, my login to the DoorDash platform is disabled," he said.
Julian offered this advice to anyone who receives a suspicious call:
"Just slow down, verify independently, talk to someone you trust, and run that information by them," Julian said.
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