DoorDash says it has banned an account after a driver used AI to fake a food delivery, creating a false image that made it appear an order had been dropped off just moments after it was placed.
X user Byrne Hobart ordered food on December 27, 2025, but the app almost instantly marked the delivery as complete. When Hobart checked, they saw a photo showing what looked like their front door with a bag of food outside — except the image wasn’t real. It had been generated by AI, and no food had actually arrived.
The incident quickly went viral, with some users questioning whether it really happened. DoorDash later confirmed the case and said the account involved had been banned.
Hobart speculated that the driver may have used a jailbroken phone to access old delivery photos linked to the same address, then used one of those images as a reference for an AI-generated “proof of delivery.” This remains unconfirmed, but it offers one possible explanation.
Another user in Austin, Texas claimed to have experienced a similar situation the same day, sharing both a real photo of their home and an AI-made version showing food that was never delivered.
After the story spread online, DoorDash told TechCrunch it had permanently removed the driver’s account, stressing it has zero tolerance for fraud and uses both technology and human review to stop abuse on its platform.
The case adds to a growing list of incidents where AI has been used to deceive — from fake apartment listings to fabricated event photos — showing how the technology is increasingly being misused in everyday scams.