DoorDash investigates Anchorage restaurant scam

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - The popular take-out dining platform DoorDash is investigating after an Anchorage restaurant became the target of a scam. Last week, Marx Bros restaurant became listed as a merchant on DoorDash’s app. Alaska’s News Source first reported this story on Thursday.

“Some time at the beginning of last week I received a welcome package for a DoorDash merchant,” Marx Bros co-owner Jack Amon said.

Amon didn’t think much about the mailer he’d received but he was shocked to find out that somebody had placed his restaurant on DoorDash’s platform.

“I can’t figure it for the life of me why somebody would go to that trouble,” Amon said.

Somebody was apparently savvy enough to sign up with DoorDash as a merchant and become featured on their take-out service app. It didn’t take long before orders began pouring in.

“I think the first night we had six or seven people,” Amon recalled. “Somebody showed up when my partner, Van, got here at 9 o’clock in the morning to pick something up, so it was really goofy.”

Marx Bros doesn’t even open for business until 5 p.m. It has been serving fine cuisine for 44 years and has never been known as a take-out restaurant. Amon says he wasn’t about to change that now. So he called DoorDash to get removed from their app.

“We went back and forth and back and forth,” Amon said.

Alaska’s News Source reached out to DoorDash to find out how this even happened. Spokesperson Trent Hodson responded with a statement saying the platform is continually on alert for fraudulent behavior.

“We have permanently deactivated the fraudulent Marx Bros page from DoorDash. If any member of our community identifies unusual activity with their business, we strongly encourage them to reach out to DoorDash support immediately,” the statement said.

DoorDash also said they are actively investigating how somebody hacked into their platform to begin with.

“Customers who attempted to place a delivery order from the fraudulent Marx Bros store on DoorDash had their orders canceled and any funds were reimbursed. One pickup order was fulfilled and DoorDash is actively reimbursing Marx Bros for this amount,” the company said.

Amon says the scammers went to great lengths to impersonate his restaurant.

“Made up an email address and an employee identification number and had some bank account,” Amon said. “They also had spelled it Marx Bro, ‘B-r-o’ without the s.”

Now hopefully, the owners of Marx Bros won’t have to worry about any more DoorDash delivery drivers showing up at their door.

“We pride ourselves on really fine qualify food and excellent service,” Amon said. “I was concerned that people thought it was us and leave bad ratings about the restaurant.”

If anyone placed an order for take-out with this bogus business they should call their credit card company immediately. The Better Business Bureau suggests they dispute the charges — although this may not resolve it. They say to cancel the credit card and get a new one — then request a credit report from annualcreditreport.com to begin monitoring their credit and make sure no one opens up any new accounts in their name.

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