Artificial intelligence has already been blamed for slick scams and convincing impersonations, but it has now found an oddly mundane new role in everyday deception. A growing number of customers are using AI tools to doctor pictures of delivered meals so the food looks unsafe. The goal is simple. They want support teams to believe the order arrived undercooked, ruined, or contaminated so a refund is issued.
According to the New York Post, these altered images can look surprisingly believable, even when the edits are dramatic. Some show desserts made to appear melted into a mess, while others add details like insects on baked goods. The point is to create “proof” that seems good enough to satisfy a quick customer service review. It is the kind of trick that thrives in the rush of app-based support, where speed often matters more than deep investigation.
What is especially striking is how openly some people brag about doing it. On X, one user claimed they edit their photos to get money back from DoorDash and shared an image of a hamburger that had been made to look raw through digital changes. Another person on Threads described editing a photo to make a chicken drumstick appear undercooked. They said the app’s support team apologized for the inconvenience and refunded $26.60.
In that same thread, the user framed the scam as a financial workaround, hinting they were short on funds and looking for an easy win. The casual tone turned the situation into content, as if it were a clever life hack instead of fraud. It also shows how AI is lowering the barrier to entry for this kind of behavior. You no longer need serious editing skills to manufacture an image that triggers a refund.
Plenty of people online were not amused. Replies ranged from disgust to outright anger, with some calling the behavior pathetic and others hoping the posters face consequences. One commenter pointed out the most important detail. These refunds can hit the restaurant that prepared the order, not just the delivery platform, meaning the scam can punish small businesses that did nothing wrong.
Do you think delivery apps should change how they handle refund claims now that AI can manipulate “evidence” so easily? Share your thoughts in the comments.
