This report details a peculiar case of elaborate food fraud in Japan， highlighting the exploitation of digital platform mechanisms. On October 10th， news emerged of a 38-year-old unemployed man from Nagoya City， Japan， identified as Takayuki Higashimoto， who masterfully exploited a loophole in food delivery platform refund policies. Over a span of two years， he managed to procure over 1，000 meals without payment， resulting in a total loss exceeding 3.7 million Japanese Yen (approximately 170，000 Chinese Yuan) for the affected vendors.
The investigation revealed that the man had registered 124 accounts using pseudonyms and fictitious addresses since 2023. He repeatedly ordered high-value items such as unagi (eel) bento boxes， hamburger steaks， and ice cream， consistently opting for contactless delivery. Upon receiving his orders， he would then file complaints through the app， claiming the “meal was not delivered” or was “delivered incorrectly，” enabling him to successfully obtain refunds for each transaction. In total， law enforcement discovered he had placed approximately 1，095 fraudulent orders.
To circumvent identity verification and evade detection， the suspect actively created new accounts each time he completed a fraudulent transaction， subsequently deleting them to significantly complicate tracking efforts. This systematic approach demonstrates a level of premeditation and technical savvy employed to exploit the platform’s system.
Upon apprehension， the man readily confessed to his actions， stating， “I just wanted to see if I could do it at first， and then I couldn’t stop once I realized I could get away with it.” His candid admission suggests a progression from curiosity to compulsive exploitation of the system.
Authorities have definitively categorized the suspect’s actions as intentional fraud. The case has now been transferred to the prosecutor’s office for further investigation and potential prosecution on charges of fraud. While his actions are certainly criminal， for the immediate time being， he no longer has to worry about his next meal， at least not in the conventional sense.
