My pizza order turned into a terrifying ordeal after creepy delivery driver stole my data & I was sent sinister messages
SONYA DHILLON’S phone pinged as she tucked into her takeaway pizza.
It was a text from the restaurant manager, checking if she was happy with the order that had just been delivered.
“It seemed unusual, but I replied politely to say yes,” says the 34-year-old from Ealing, West London, who is single.
“But then he would not stop contacting me with flirtatious messages, suggesting I could thank him in person for my pizza, even when I ignored him.
“It lasted for a couple of days. He went as far as sending one to me via a different messaging app called Telegram, which deletes both sides of the conversation, despite me telling him to stop. It meant there was no trace of it.
“I was in two minds about reporting him to the company’s head office as I’d given my phone number as a customer when I called up for a pizza, not to be propositioned.
“I discussed it with my family but they made me feel guilty that he could lose his job, so I left it.
“I regret that now, as who knows how many other women he has approached.”
But events company boss Sonya was well within her rights to complain.
Taking the contact details you’ve provided to a business in confidence and using them for other means is a breach of data protection laws, known as GDPR.
Punishment for this crime can be severe.
A company found not to have appropriate procedures or training in place can be fined up to £17.5million or four per cent of their global turnover.
‘Makes you feel violated’
An employee who has breached company data protection policy could be criminally prosecuted by the Information Commissioner’s Office and face a fine or prison sentence.
The scale of this opportunistic data theft is unknown because few women understand their rights, or fear a backlash if they report unsolicited advances.
With more businesses now requiring us to hand over our data to obtain their service, misuse of it is inevitably on the rise — and more women are reporting that this is happening to them.
TV presenter Naga Munchetty recently revealed on Radio 5 Live that taxi drivers had used her personal number inappropriately.
“It makes you feel violated because it is unsolicited and unwanted attention,” she said. “I feel a bit shaky inside when it happens.”
Sonya says that even though the pizza order came to her office workplace, she felt violated — and scared.
“I was wary of leaving the building at night and had to look over my shoulder,” she says.
“My name is uncommon so it wouldn’t be hard to find me on social media. It just makes you feel incredibly unsafe.”
With an estimated 90 per cent of the world’s data generated in the past two years alone, experts say companies need to prioritise stamping out this practice.
Emma Green, managing partner of Cyber Data Law, says: “Unfortunately I’m hearing more and more stories like this. This is 2023 not 1923.
“Women should be able to check into a hotel or order a pizza without being asked if they have a boyfriend.
“Not only is it creepy and unsolicited, but people who do this are breaking the law.
“The problem is that victims are often unaware of this — as are many of the people making that contact, because they are poorly trained.
“Every company that handles personal data, no matter their size, has a legal responsibility to ensure it is only used for the purpose provided.”
Courtney Sherwell, 38, had been getting weekly deliveries of meal kit boxes for months when a new courier took over — and messaged her.
“It wasn’t explicit, he just asked if he could contact me, but I felt extremely vulnerable and unsure what to do,” says the school support worker from Haringey, North London.
“I kept the conversation steered on the deliveries and he did respect that and didn’t contact me again in that way.
“But I still had to see him most weeks for a while afterwards. Every delivery had a sense of anxiety attached.”
Courtney did not report the approach in December 2019 as she was wary of inflaming the situation and knew the courier worked as a subcontractor for the meal brand.
“Had I reported it, he would have known it came from me,” she says.
“I think about 95 per cent of my friends have experienced unwanted approaches in one way or another, and having your number stolen and used has become another threatening situation women have to learn to navigate.
“I don’t think these men fully appreciate how it makes a woman feel — or maybe they just don’t care.
“It’s totally different to being approached in a bar for your number.”
Data theft can also have a long-term impact on how safe victims feel doing normal activities, such as ordering a taxi, checking into a hotel or visiting a gym.
When Lisa, 41, from Manchester, used an airport parking service last year, she was alone on the shuttle bus when the driver requested her number, claiming it was to speed up the pick-up process.
“But he went on to message me throughout the holiday, asking how it was going,” she says.
“I didn’t respond, and when I landed I got a friend to come with me to collect my car because I felt uncomfortable, then I blocked his number. It cast a shadow over my holiday.”
Helen’s messages from a takeaway pizza employee were far more explicit.
She says: “After ordering online, I got a text saying, ‘Just cooking your pizza, look forward to seeing you soon’. I ignored it.
“When he delivered my food and said I hadn’t replied, I told him he was in breach of GDPR. He laughed and said he was just updating me on my order.
“I made the mistake of asking his name — and he took that as interest.”
After slamming the door, Helen, 39, from Cardiff, was bombarded with messages. “I threatened to report him and blocked him,” she says.
“Then he tracked me down on Facebook and sent me an X-rated picture.”
Helen did make a complaint — but she says she was ignored by the company.
Katie*, 29, encountered similar apathy when she reported an incident in April 2020, after buying a treadmill.
One of the two men who delivered it to her house later messaged her and wrote: “I have a wild question to ask you. I was just wondering if you were single?”
When Katie did not reply, he followed up with a question mark. She asked who it was and his chilling reply was: “I was in your home earlier.”
‘I even had death threats’
The law graduate from East Yorkshire says: “I knew it was a breach of GDPR from my studies and wanted to let the company know.
“The phone lines were closed due to Covid, so I had to raise the issue on their Facebook page.
“Not only were they not interested, but I suffered abuse and even death threats from other people who read my post.
“They accused me of trying to lose the driver his job, being stuck up and even commented on my appearance.
“It has really affected my confidence and I felt genuinely scared for a time.
“No other victim of a crime would be attacked in that way.
“I didn’t even want the driver to be punished — I didn’t tell them my order number. I just wanted the company to improve its training.”
Emma Green advises women who are sent these unsolicited advances to make it clear immediately that this is unacceptable behaviour.
“Reply and tell them: Do not contact me again. Please delete my number.
“This sets out your position and then if they continue, you are moving into harassment territory and can consider contacting the police,” she explains.
She also recommends being aware of what information you are being asked to hand over.
“I’ve had instances where I’ve been asked for my date of birth just to make a restaurant booking,” Emma says.
“That simply isn’t necessary. You can’t always avoid giving your number or email, so we need companies to make us feel safe when we do so.
“Reporting any incidents should ensure it is taken seriously. The law is on your side.”
Andrea Simon, director of the End Violence Against Women Coalition, said: “These may be GDPR breaches but more importantly, they are instances of harassment, which is part of a spectrum of violence that women face every day.
“We cannot minimise the experiences that women go through. We expect the police and employers to take harassment seriously.“
The Information Commissioner’s Office oversees investigations of GDPR breaches.
An ICO spokesman told Fab Daily: “People have every right to go out for a meal or order a delivery without fear of later getting an unwanted call from the individual that served them.”
- Some names have been changed.
WHAT TO DO IF YOU ARE MESSAGED
IF you receive an unsolicited illegal approach after your data has been taken, respond to any messages with: “Do not contact me again and delete my number.”
The next step is to raise your concerns with the company about how personal information has been handled.
If you are not satisfied with the response, report it to the ICO by calling 0303 123 1113 or visiting ico.org.uk.
It can investigate if a law has been broken and bring a prosecution if so.
If the individual continues to contact you despite you asking them not to, you can report the incident to police, who can investigate whether it amounts to harassment.