Sushi Shop Waits Six Weeks for Payment After Account Hack

The Sushi Club, a Napier-based eatery, experienced a six-week delay in receiving thousands of dollars in payments after scammers compromised its Uber Eats account.

Owner Penny Leigh reported that Uber Eats froze nearly $3,000 in payments while the company investigated a complaint regarding the security breach. The incident began in February when Leigh received phone calls from individuals she believed were scammers pretending to be representatives from Uber.

Leigh stated she was tricked into providing the latest email account for The Sushi Club. On the afternoon of Monday, February 16, scammers accessed the account and altered the details to ensure that order payments were directed to them instead of the business.

Impact on Business Operations

Although Leigh corrected the account details quickly and received a payment from Uber on February 17, the company subsequently placed The Sushi Club’s account on hold to conduct an investigation.

During this investigation period, the restaurant continued to fulfill Uber Eats orders without receiving payment. This resulted in the total amount owed to the business increasing to nearly $3,000.

Leigh reported that she faced significant difficulty contacting Uber representatives for updates on the investigation. Due to the lack of communication and the frozen funds, the restaurant eventually stopped taking Uber Eats orders.

Company Response and Context

Uber issued a statement expressing regret for the stress and disruption the incident caused. The company maintained that it froze the account to investigate the breach and complete necessary security steps.

The Sushi Club, owned by Penny and Steve Leigh on Dickens Street, had signed up for the online food delivery service in December. Uber Eats has been operating in the Napier region since 2020.

Leigh noted that while Uber’s communication was initially really good, the experience shifted following the hack and the subsequent freeze of business funds.