The new year is shaping up to be better than one Oceanside mother had anticipated now that she’s recovered hundreds of dollars she says were stolen by a hacker.
Leticia Rivas was out about $850 (nearly a week's pay) as a DoorDash food delivery driver.
“It’s my money," Rivas told NBC 7. "It’s money that I’m losing and that I need to pay my bills and to buy some food."
Rivas said she hit a wall when she asked DoorDash for help recovering the money she no longer had access to.
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Rivas has been a “Dasher” for the past five years and, unfortunately, this was not the first time her account was hacked. After she was unable to get the company to help her get her money back this time, though, she called NBC 7 Responds. We got right to work and contacted DoorDash and was told it would look into what was going on.
A few days later, DoorDash said it confirmed Rivas' account had been taken over by a hacker and that it believed the vulnerability may have caused by her personal email account.
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DoorDash went on to say:
“We know this was a frustrating experience for the Dasher, and we have reached out to her directly to help make things right. Incidents like these are not unique to DoorDash, but we regularly remind Dashers to keep their account information secure and frequently share tips with them on how to avoid these types of scams. If a Dasher ever receives a request for any of their account details or suspects their account has been compromised in any manner, we urge them to contact DoorDash Support immediately.”
Rivas was pretty happy and grateful to NBC 7 Responds when she finally received the more than $800 she had earned back in the fall, just in time for the holidays.
Whether you work for Doordash or use them for food delivery, here are a few tips from the company:
- Never share your personal information: If you receive a request for your password, security code or other account details, do not share that information, even if the request appears to come from support or a person who knows specific details about your order
- Create a strong password: A unique password should contain a mix of words, numbers, symbols, and upper- and lower-case letters. Avoid using generic words such as “password” or “doordash.” Do not use your birthday or Social Security number
- Report suspicious activity: If any user suspects fraudulent activity, they should immediately contact customer support to help resolve the issue
The new year is as good a time as any to check your passwords and possibly change them in case they have been compromised.