Instacart scamming shoppers. It is simple to do, yet highly frustrating to shoppers.
Instacart scamming shoppers Please read the sidebar. Ongoing Security Measures: We’ve implemented several security measures to help ensure that shoppers remain eligible to shop with Instacart and that they are using their account Apr 14, 2025 · Full-service Instacart shoppers can complete the full process through the Instacart Shopper app. May 1, 2020 · But just like many things, there’s always someone taking advantage. So i block them. It is our hope to be a wealth of knowledge for people wanting to educate themselves, find support, and discover ways to help a friend or loved one who may be a victim of a scam. I do Instacart shopping and whenever I have an issue i call IC. Let‘s break down exactly how scammers target shoppers and customers. Share Copy Link. I think there is something else going on here; this isn't how the service works. I have seen my This just to happened to me and I'm livid. Damaged Items Aug 22, 2023 · Instacart scam affecting local shoppers, costing people hundreds of dollars. Never share the verification code with anyone. com Review. I just wanted to post this and ask if anyone else has ever experienced this - it's happened to me twice now, the exact same… Aug 23, 2023 · Common Instacart Scams Targeting Customers. Apr 21, 2024 · Scams Targeting Instacart Shoppers. Sometimes Instacart may lock/suspend customer accounts as a security measure to prevent fraud. ly/1ipUX3cGet more Cincinnat Instacart pays less to shop for 2 and 3 ORDERS on one Batch When is Instacart going to do something about the shoppers who are scamming Instacart. Jan 3, 2024 · How To Protect Yourself Against Instacart Scams. Instacart takes security and privacy seriously. Food Delivery in San Francisco, CA. Download the app, create an account, and provide basic information about yourself. May 30, 2023 · A former Kroger worker on TikTok alleges that the Instacart service her store partnered with has been infiltrated by “a bunch of scammers” preying on customers. They pretend that these are independent. Valid. In this scheme, a customer will entice a shopper with the promise of a generous tip, only to reduce or remove the tip entirely after the order has been completed. Also - with all the time it takes so scam people you think they’d get a real job like the rest of us. Oct 29, 2024 · ‘Ripped off’: Instacart shopper pays $179 for her order. 5. May 22, 2023 · Instacart says they do conduct background checks of shoppers to ensure they meet safety standards. 109 votes, 84 comments. Full-service shoppers get paid per batch that they complete. Some Instacart shoppers have been reported for stealing items during delivery. May 11, 2023 · A North Texas family says they had their checking account drained when a shopper for Instacart stole all of the items in their order — but not before adding May 31, 2020 · Instacart hires background-checked and trained personal shoppers to handle your grocery shopping. one former Kroger worker claimed in TikTok posts that her old store was using Instacart shoppers that were a "bunch of scammers. 4. Besides less demand for grocery delivery, Instacart cut base pay to $4 per order from $7, Insider reported last month. The video, from creator Apr 16, 2024 · Instacart. Aug 15, 2023 · Instacart scam leads to $2,800 Kroger bill and no delivery. Apr 15, 2022 · In the latest scam alerted by the BBB, one woman said she had more than $50 added to her Instacart bill. This one was designed to break into the account that Instacart shoppers use, to not only lock the shopper out of their account, but also drain the account of any money within it. This was a big deal, but now I have fou Proof Instacart is Scamming Shoppers Instacart has already had a few lawsuits about customer tips getting stolen. When IC calls me the calls do not go thru because they are on my scam block list. Instacart Code Scam. According to her initial video, Elise Subscribe for more company stories. Tip Baiting Scam. Some shoppers will also be scammed by people who try to use the app for unauthorized transactions. Apr 17, 2023 · GROVEPORT, Ohio (WSYX) — An Instacart shopper is accused of scamming more than 100 people in central Ohio while shopping for their groceries. Dec 26, 2023 · Some shoppers can steal from the client’s order, scan extra products, or deliver empty bags. Mar 26, 2025 · In a Reddit group for Instacart shoppers, one shopper posted about a new scam he wanted other Instacarters to be wary of. I just experienced a similar thing. The shoppers appeared to be the victims of phishing scams, a growing trend among gig workers. true. Now there is this, instacart clearly has Then, today, tomorrow or later this week, they will call you directly, pretending to be Instacart support. Delivery Theft Scam. Review shopper ratings and reviews – One effective way to protect yourself from Instacart scams is to carefully review the ratings and feedback of Instacart Shoppers before selecting them for your order. Most of the time these are done with stolen/hacked accounts. At my local Costco and Walmart, There’s a large group who wait… Feb 4, 2025 · Blocking Deactivated Shoppers: We have guardrails to detect and deny shoppers who have had their account deactivated from opening a duplicate shopper account. Rodic This is a common scam that many shoppers have fallen for, and it's possible that the scammer has used your account to scam customers. " Apr 19, 2023 · An Instacart shopper is accused of scamming more than 100 people in central Ohio while shopping for their groceries. Customers are welcome, too. Of course it is not free delivery. All you have to do is put a list together, schedule your delivery, pay online and receive your order. Experts say Instacart shoppers are adding items to the consumer's cart and increasing their May 12, 2023 · A North Texas family says they had their checking account drained when a shopper for Instacart stole all of the items in their order — but not before adding dozens of new items for themselves. Tip Baiting: One of the most prevalent scams targeting Instacart shoppers is tip baiting. (oversimplified) Apr 19, 2023 · An Instacart shopper is accused of scamming more than 100 people in central Ohio while shopping for their groceries. 13 votes, 26 comments. com a medium-high trust score on the platform: 75. The platform provides a rating system where customers can share their experiences. At a store by me, a ton of very small 2 shop only orders rolled out at the same time. Thank you for your reply and advice! I hope it gets better for ya Trying to wrap my head around this. But when i work IC and have to call them. They also affect shoppers. May 11, 2024 · A scam is leaving Instacart shoppers or customers on the hook for gift cards they never ordered. Tip baiting is a very common scam on Instacart. There are massive hidden service fees. Fri, 11 Apr 2025 11:19:31 GMT (1744370371256) Story Infinite Scroll - News3 v1 Is Instacart Scamming Shoppers? (Possible Proof) Instacart got into trouble before because of tips getting stolen. Usually they call me back from different numbers. Common. Not BBB Accredited. This is an educational subreddit focused on scams. g. Authentic Instacart support agents will never ask you to tell them that code over the phone. I hope things work out with getting your account and money back. That shoppers account would have been immediately locked pending investigation. You get a wave of texts asking you to approve every little thing, then emails confirming your order, then emails asking if your order matched what you were expecting, and if anything goes wrong -- discovering mold on the blueberries, or got orange juice Terms for Free Delivery (First Order): Offer valid on first order made through Instacart with a minimum basket size as set forth in the offer promotion. shoppers. We are confident about our score as we also partner with other high-tech, fraud-prevention companies that Mar 27, 2022 · @Instacart Scam! Your Costco grocery shopper stole my order yesterday. Instacart has a live feed that texts you as they shop. You can schedule blocks of time in advance or simply hop online and start accepting available orders whenever you have a few hours Instacart: 10 Scams To Avoid As A Shopper! I have been an instacart shopper for over 2 years now, and I have learned alot in this time period. Aug 21, 2023 · Instacart scam affecting local shoppers, costing people hundreds of dollarsSubscribe to WLWT on YouTube now for more: http://bit. They will try to trick you into giving them your shopper verification code. Offer expires on the date indicated in the user’s account settings or displayed in the offer promotion. An Instacart shopper is accused of scamming more than 100 people in central Ohio while shopping for their groceries. They also likely tried to call them as well. It is simple to do, yet highly frustrating to shoppers. It signals that the business is best defined by the following tags: Standard. I've used Instacart for years with no issues, but today this exact scam happened to me, and I won't be using it again. May 9, 2024 · Common Scams Targeting Instacart Shoppers. Author. We use passwordless authentication for account creation and login to help ensure the integrity of our platform and protect our customers and shoppers. Download the Instacart app or start shopping online now with Instacart to get groceries, alcohol, home essentials, and more delivered to you <b>in as fast as 1 hour</b> or select curbside pickup from your favorite local stores. The Scam Detector website Validator gives shoppers. And the people appear to be pretty bold, too. e. Customers notice items missing from their orders, which are later found to have been taken by the delivery person. Jul 7, 2023 · King Soopers customer says Instacart shopper substituted $100 in items without her permission. Oct 18, 2023 · Without further due, here are the most prevalent Instacart shopper scams below: 1. Copy {copyShortcut} to copy Updated: 10:03 PM EDT Aug 21, 2023 Chris Jacobs Anchor/Reporter May 8, 2024 · Tip baiting affects 3-8% of Instacart shoppers ; As much as $30-35 million lost through Instacart scams per year; So out of the company‘s 600,000+ daily orders,* scam frequency remains low but still totals large sums yearly. The scammers ask Instacart shoppers to replace items with gift cards and then send the card's code. Most Common Scams. Instacart is the leading grocery technology company in North America, partnering with more than 1,500 national, regional, and local retail banners to deliver from more than 85,000 stores across more than 14,000 cities in North America. Customers using Instacart should be aware of several common scams, including phishing scams, fake websites, and unauthorized payment changes. Instacart provides estimates for your earnings on every order, and tracks your total earnings for the week. Types of Instacart Scams 4. Posted by u/Shaniben - 6 votes and 6 comments Apr 21, 2024 · Instacart Shopper Flexibility. Once Instacart approves your application, you can get started right away. I have real-time screen shots of the shop. Like full-service shoppers Order same-day delivery or pickup from more than 300 retailers and grocers. Scammers may send emails or text messages posing as Instacart representatives, attempting to trick customers into revealing sensitive information or making **Not directly affiliated with Instacart** Welcome to the best place to share your experiences, ask questions & chat with other Instacart Shoppers. Instacart does have the shoppers’ personal information, and think of all the How much an Instacart shopper earns depends on their role type and other factors. I took multiple orders in a row and every single order was for the same customer with a slightly different username. instacart. Account locked/suspended. Instacart heavily pushes Instacart Express with free delivery for a year. For example, some shoppers utilize third-party bots, snatching new orders as they appear. Customers aren’t the only ones subject to Instacart scams. Dec 1, 2022 · An Instacart shopper claims that a customer tried to scam her by pretending to be an Instacart representative through the app in a now-viral TikTok, warning others to be vigilant when taking orders. Instacart then pays over to Safeway the difference between the price paid by the customer online, and Safeway pays Instacart the service fee. Go find you another scam or more idiots to scam we ain’t them idiots When a dispute is filed, the associated Instacart account is placed on hold during the investigation, which can take up to 90 days. It’s definitely helpful for new shoppers. See BBB rating, reviews, complaints, and more. If Instacart suspects this behavior, they’ll immediately deactivate your account. The shopper picked out our items suspiciously quickly, and added 10x quantities to expensive items, adding on over $100 to the order. When shopping for two or three ORDERS at the same time, Instacart pays less. Apr 30, 2021 · Some Instacart shoppers are reportedly claiming their accounts were terminated unfairly by the company. Once the Shopper makes the call, they receive a “verification code” and are instructed to relay it to the scammer. Multiple times your representatives in your “help” chat, when presented with the theft, stopped communicating. They are running scam computer programs intercepting delivery jobs, what Instacart calls batches, keeping them from legitimate shoppers. As independent contractors, Instacart shoppers can choose their own hours and work as much or as little as they want. Then she sees the receipt driver accidentally left in the bag One woman called out the brand for scamming her out of a $300 order. Instacart then agrees to charge Safeway a service fee. Instacart is a popular grocery delivery and pick-up service that connects customers with personal shoppers who fulfil and deliver their orders from local stores. Using instacart to scam shoppers in 2023. Welcome to r/scams. Here are some of the most common scams you could deal with if you work as a shopper for Instacart. King Soopers said it is investigating the incident and taking steps to take care of the customer. The scams don’t stop there, though. The person will also attempt to take any earnings that are on the stolen Instacart shopper’s account. Ignored me. #InstaCartScams — Cher 😷🦠😎🇺🇦 (@Cher_Wolf) April 17, 2020 Oct 25, 2024 · Instacart agrees that Safeway will set the prices on the “Safeway store” on Instacart. S. Profile and Account Settings Placing Orders Delivery How Instacart Works How to use EBT SNAP Instacart Business Terms of Promo Credit Gift Card Instacart Sweepstakes Rules Pricing Discounts Fees Instacart Plus I’m so sorry this happened to you as a shopper! Instacart clearly doesn’t take care of their workers or customers. I’ve never used Instacart and don’t have an account, but I received a series of text messages from 467-82, first telling me an Aldi associate was shopping my order, then that a particular item was refunded, and then that my order was ready early for pickup. Full-service shopper in the U. . ADVERTISEMENT "It just made me angry that somebody decided to do that," said Singh Kumar no you can’t lol there is not a thing you can do, you are not a Instacart employee nor do you work in a position high enough to make such decisions …. A video posted to Reddit allegedly shows scammer software May 26, 2025 · Instacart Team, SUNDAY THE 18TH 2025 9:20 Ive been a loyal Instacart customer for a long time, but Im deeply disappointed with the continued lack of accountability for your shoppers. I have noticed that when i am not working i get calls from those exact numbers titles as Scams. In-store shoppers have to go through a slightly longer process. However, users should be aware of risks such as no work benefits for shoppers, potential for damaged items without refunds, and scam risks. Aug 8, 2023 · In a video with over 22,000 views, TikTok user Jami Elise (@jami_elise) explains how the scam works—and how Instacart seems to be doing little to solve it. They also have to sign an independent contractor’s agreement. "It just made me angry that somebody decided to do Jan 11, 2024 · An Instacart customer recently detailed their experience of allegedly being scammed out of nearly $300 by an Instacart shopper. This is a good reminder for shoppers to not text or call a customer outside of the app or to read a verification code to anyone over the phone. Aug 22, 2023 · Instacart shoppers have had to contend with declining earnings lately. I mean I thought I’d never get scammed but someone attempted to steal my identity last year and they came damn close. A major draw of Instacart for shoppers is the flexible scheduling. The crooks lure shoppers into making phone calls outside the official Instacart app in this scam. If you work in Instacart check out the Jan 2, 2024 · Instacart is generally safe, employing measures like shopper background checks, in-app communication encryption, and injury protection for shoppers. Instacart's stated goal of these service fees was to increase payments for shoppers who didn't receive tips, but Instacart eventually decided to keep it for themselves.