'Still shows up with food after refund': User shares bizarre food ordering incident, warns of growing frauds via 'Swiggy-Zomato'

For years, tech-enabled food delivery has thrived on speed, scale, and trust. But a new scam quietly unfolding across platforms like Swiggy and Zomato is shaking that very foundation, one refund, one delivery at a time.

On the surface, it looks like a glitch. But behind it is a growing exploit that’s harming restaurants, misleading customers, and bypassing platforms entirely.

What’s the scam?

In a now-viral Instagram post, content creator Tvisha Tuli (@socho.abhi) explained the scheme, “Some delivery partners on platforms like Swiggy & Zomato have found a dangerous loophole. After marking an order undelivered (so the customer gets a refund), they still show up with the food and ask for direct payment. Why? Because if the customer pays—they keep the full amount. No cuts to the restaurant. No aggregator commissions.”

It’s a system hack—clever, but fraudulent. As Tuli notes, “For someone earning ₹15–20 per delivery, this ‘system hack’ feels like an easy payday. But it’s still fraud.”

In practice, here's how it plays out- A delivery agent marks the order as "cancelled" or "undelivered" through the platform, triggering a refund. The platform processes it, assuming the food never reached the customer. But moments later, the delivery partner shows up at the customer’s door—food in hand—and requests a direct payment via QR code.

One such experience was documented in a viral video. A user recalled, “Then we received our refund, and we were like, okay, the food is definitely not coming. But then after some time, we again got a call and this guy is saying, ‘I’m standing right outside your house. Your food is here, you can collect it.’”

The twist?

“Now this guy goes, ‘You must have received the refund, so this is the QR code—you can directly pay here.’”

Thankfully, the customer grew suspicious and contacted the restaurant directly, only to learn, “We do not do direct deliveries… You just take the pizza and definitely do not pay him.”

Why this matters

This may look like a one-off hustle, but it’s much deeper. As Tuli explains, “The scammer keeps the entire payment with zero accountability and no platform traceability. This isn’t just about one free meal. It’s a systemic breakdown of trust, revenue, and logistics.”

For small restaurants, this scam translates into loss of inventory and revenue. For food aggregators, it distorts delivery metrics and customer satisfaction scores. For legitimate delivery partners, it creates suspicion and damages the reputation of the gig economy as a whole.

Tuli warns that if left unchecked, the scam could result in:

• Fraudulent payouts

• False delivery performance data

• Erosion of restaurant trust in platforms

• Customer safety risks

Tuli summed it up saying, “This post is not intended to defame any platform or individual. It highlights a loophole observed in food delivery systems to spread awareness and protect both customers and businesses.”