Virginia man warns customers of alleged round-up scams after seeing his Taco Bell receipt: ‘Watch yourself when you go through these drive-thrus’

A Virginia man is warning fast-food customers to pay closer attention to their receipts after he claimed a Taco Bell employee added an unauthorized charge to his drive-thru order. What initially appeared to be a small difference in his total turned into an unexpected confrontation when he discovered the restaurant had allegedly rounded up his bill without asking for permission.

Steven (@even_steven1993) shared his experience in a TikTok video claiming that he recently visited a Taco Bell drive-thru and placed a lunch order totaling $8.04. However, when he reached the payment window, the employee reportedly told him his new total was $9.

Steven initially assumed he had misheard the amount and handed over his debit card. However, he became suspicious when the employee allegedly took his receipt and crumpled it up before throwing it away. Wanting to check the transaction, he asked the employee to print another receipt. That’s when he allegedly discovered that his total had been increased by 96 cents.

The employee apparently didn’t have change

Steven professed that he confronted the employee and asked whether the restaurant had intentionally rounded up his order. “Yeah, we did because we’re running low on change. Anytime that happens, the system automatically rounds up,” she apparently replied.

Steven questioned the explanation because he had paid using a debit card rather than cash. He claimed the employee insisted that the adjustment happened regardless of the payment method.

Although the amount was less than a dollar, Steven said he was concerned about the principle behind the transaction. He used the video to warn other customers to check their receipts and question unexpected charges rather than assuming the amount displayed at the payment window is correct. “Watch yourself when you go through these drive-thrus and anywhere and everywhere, honestly, because … scam on every corner,” he said.

Some commenters pointed out that Taco Bell has an established donation program that allows customers to round up their purchases to support educational opportunities for young people. Taco Bell’s Round Up initiative is connected to the Taco Bell Foundation, which supports educational opportunities, community programs, and scholarships for young people. Customers can voluntarily round up their purchases to the nearest dollar, with the additional money going toward the foundation’s initiatives.

According to the Taco Bell Foundation, the program has generated more than $150 million for students since 2019. Its funding supports community grants and the Live Más Scholarship, which helps young people pursue their educational and career goals. However, the donation is supposed to be voluntary.

Steven later provided an update, saying he allegedly returned to the restaurant and received his money back. According to his comment, the employees gave him a full dollar to resolve the issue.