Fact check: how common are those Myrtle Beach pizza flyer scams, really?

For years stories of scams involving food delivery advertisements have circulated around the Grand Strand.

The idea is a scammer advertises an illegitimate restaurant, usually posing as a pizza joint, with flyers, particularly targeting hotels and campgrounds. The target orders food by phone, which may or may not come, and the scammer gets the target’s credit or debit card information.

Accounts are sometimes documented on social media and review sites, but how prevalent are these cons? It seems that the flyer scams were a significant problem several years ago. Back in 2015, law enforcement warned consumers about the scams.

“Many times these food flyers will not have an actual business name on the flyer. This makes it impossible to google the company. Make sure when you are ordering your deliveries you are ordering from a reputable business,” North Myrtle Beach Police wrote on Facebook.

In the past few years though, the department hasn’t received any reports of such scams.

“We don’t have anything recently on our radar,” said officer Patrick Wilkinson.

But Grand Strand hotels, particularly those on Ocean Boulevard and especially during the summer season, still deal with the scammers and flyers left under guests’ doors, according to Myrtle Beach Area Hospitality Association executive Director Victoria Tobin.

“Sometimes they are ghost kitchens and food is delivered but other times they’re flat-out scams,” Tobin said.

She added that the impacted hotels warn guests about illegitimate flyers and work with Myrtle Beach Police to prosecute the scammers for trespassing.

While Myrtle Beach Police public information officer Randolph Angotti said he is aware of the ruse, the department doesn’t handle such cases often.

Data about food delivery flyer scams is also scant. The Better Business Bureau maintains a database tracking scams and has received no reports of these flyer scams in the Eastern Carolinas region. Of course, it’s possible that consumers have either gotten wise to the con or are embarrassed and don’t want to come forward to report it.

The Better Business Bureau of Eastern Carolinas advises consumers ordering food to:

• Only order from trusted restaurants. No matter how credible a flyer may look, always search for it online before placing an order.

• Check with hotel staff to see if they’re familiar with the business.

• Pay with a credit card so you can dispute unauthorized charges. This may not be possible with a debit card or if you give out banking information, like your account or routing number.

• Take action if you think a restaurant you ordered from may not be legitimate. Call your credit card company immediately to reverse the charge, cancel the card and request a new one. Scammers sometimes wait weeks, or even months, to use stolen credit card numbers.

This story was originally published July 19, 2024 at 6:00 AM.