Free pizza.
It is every college student’s dream. Getting $50 worth of pizza for just $10 sounds like something that is too good to be true.
That’s because it is.
A Facebook post made by the Warrensburg Police Department and forwarded by the UCM News Bureau on Oct. 26 verified this was a scam. The scam, where students pay $10 to an unknown person through PayPal and receive $50 in pizza from Domino’s, has been victimizing a person in Alabama who had their credit card information stolen.
Michael Moana, a senior football player studying digital media production, was one of many UCM students who fell for the scam after hearing about it from other football players.
“There was a bunch of other people on the team that were doing it and they said that it was actually working,” Moana said.
Moana purchased $100 of pizza, breadsticks and desserts for $20. Even when placing the order, Moana said he was suspicious of the deal.
“I didn’t think it was going to work at first,” Moana said. “I thought my friends were just playing around with me. But when it actually worked I was like, ‘Oh, okay. Had to be some type of scam behind it.’”
When Moana realized it was a scam, he unfollowed the Twitter account of the scam, which he said was taken down shortly afterward.
The Warrensburg “Pizza Plug” hasn’t been the first scam of this type. Similar scams ran in New York City; Oakwood, Georgia; and Prince Frederick, Maryland. According to the New York Times, a similar scam occurred in New York City in 2014.
Warrensburg Police Chief Rich Lockhart said the victim reported the crime after noticing multiple charges to her credit card from the Warrensburg Domino’s for pizzas being delivered to addresses in Warrensburg late at night. Each order was made under a different name and phone number.
While the incident is being investigated, Lockhart said solving the crime may be difficult since it crosses state boundaries and may be tied to a complex criminal organization.
Lockhart said people should call the company to verify deals that seem too good to be true before taking advantage of them.
“You want to make sure you call Domino’s and make sure it’s a legitimate promotion,” Lockhart said.
Lockhart said if someone feels their card has been compromised, they should freeze their card before contacting their financial institution.
