DoorDash appears to have confirmed a viral story about a driver using an AI-generated photo to falsely claim a delivery was made. The incident was reported by an Austin resident named Byrne Hobart, who shared his experience in a social media post. He wrote that a DoorDash driver accepted his order, immediately marked it as delivered, and then submitted a photo of a DoorDash bag at a front door that was generated by artificial intelligence.
After his post gained significant attention, Hobart provided additional details. He acknowledged that his story could be easy to fake, but he also noted that another person commented to say the same thing had happened to them in Austin, allegedly involving the same driver display name.
Hobart speculated on how the driver managed the deception. He suggested the driver might have used a hacked account on a modified phone, possibly obtaining an image of his front door through a DoorDash feature that shows photos from previous deliveries.
In response to the incident, a DoorDash spokesperson stated that the company quickly investigated and permanently removed the Dasher’s account. They also ensured the customer was refunded. The spokesperson emphasized a zero-tolerance policy for fraud, noting the company uses a combination of technology and human review to detect and prevent abuse on its platform.