Fake Delivery Apps Hit 1 Million Uses as Dopamine Trend Spreads Beyond South Korea
Updated
Updated · RNZ · Jul 21
Fake Delivery Apps Hit 1 Million Uses as Dopamine Trend Spreads Beyond South Korea
3 articles · Updated · RNZ · Jul 21
Summary
FoodNeverComes says users have logged nearly 1 million “cravings satisfied,” highlighting a viral wave of free apps that mimic food delivery, shopping and even smoking without any real purchase or delivery.
Dopamine drives the appeal: users get anticipation, choice and order confirmation—the rewarding parts of a transaction—while skipping the final step of actually receiving anything.
Gateway-behavior risks remain unproven for these newer apps, but earlier research on simulated gambling found 19% to 26% of users later moved to real-money gambling, with a 2018 teen study showing a similar link.
Advertisers can still profit from fake orders because many of the free, ad-supported apps use cookies and browsing data to target users with real products they pretended to buy.
South Korea spawned the genre, but U.S.-owned Dopamine Shop suggests the model is already globalizing as marketers and researchers weigh its broader consumer impact.