In January 2025, sponsored TikTok videos displayed a purported DoorDash “glitch” free food offer. According to the ads, the offer provided DoorDash gift cards in the amount of $500. Other offers possibly promised $750.
For example, one TikTok ad I viewed on Jan. 23, read, “Eating good every day since I found the new DDash glitch.” The ad continued, “Go do it before they patch it y’all,” and displayed 9,473 likes, 19 comments and 781 bookmarks.
However, users advertising the DoorDash “glitch” free food offer for a $500 gift card promoted nothing more than a survey scam.
I previously reported the facts about another TikTok scam claiming users could earn a $750 Amazon gift card. Scammers labeled the fraudulent Amazon offer as the “pre-Super Bowl rewards hack.”
The DoorDash ‘Glitch’ Scam
The TikTok video ad I viewed for the DoorDash “glitch” free food scam showed a woman eating delivered meals. The screen displayed a purported $500 DoorDash gift card with the words, “Verified by TikTok.” TikTok did not, in fact, verify the scam offer.
The ad continued to imbuajerab.funnelish.com. The page displayed a $500 DoorDash gift card. The instructions on the page read, “Get Rewarded. Shop. Play. Get Rewarded! Grab Your Voucher With These Simple Steps.” The page continued, “HOW IT WORKS: 1. Enter your email & basic details. 2. Complete 2-3 deals (important). 3. Claim the rewards and repeat anytime.”
Upon clicking “claim now,” the page directed me to Rewards Giant USA, also labeled as Up Level Rewards. The website domain displayed not as rewardsgiantusa.com but rather restaurantpromotionsusa.com, for Restaurant Promotions USA.
The Rewards Giant USA website — again, also named Up Level Rewards — continued the false promise of a DoorDash gift card. To repeat, the TikTok video ad’s DoorDash “glitch” free food offer for a $500 gift card existed as a survey scam.
Survey Scams Have Existed for Ages
Survey scams have plagued the internet for many years. Scammers attempt to lure consumers with seemingly amazing offers, such as for the DoorDash “glitch” free food $500 gift card. Scammers design the pages displaying the offers to look very clean-appearing and professional. However, survey scams waste consumers’ time and can potentially cost them money.
Scammers running survey scams demand more than simply completing surveys. They often design their strategies to request participants submit sensitive personal information, including phone numbers, email addresses and possibly even more sensitive data like dates of birth or Social Security numbers. Consumers should safeguard their sensitive personal information to keep it all out of the hands of scammers.
Further, scammers creating ruses like the DoorDash “glitch” offer for a $500 DoorDash gift card usually trick individuals into signing up for purportedly “free trials.” Such trials automatically convert into paid subscriptions after a short period. This results in unexpected charges to the victim’s accounts, meaning the farthest thing from earning free food.
Affiliate marketers attempt to profit from these schemes. The individuals promoting these scams earn a commission based on the number of people they lead to the surveys. Therefore, victims benefit the scammer by wasting their time filling out surveys, signing up for trials, and unknowingly sharing personal and financial data. The likelihood remains extremely low that consumers might ever receive a promised reward or gift card.
For further reading, the American Automobile Association (AAA) created content to inform consumers about survey scams. The U.S. Better Business Bureau also published the article, “BBB Tip: Learn the signs of a fake survey.” Additional details offered by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) report generally about fraud and scams.