The toastie delivery mystery bewildering residents and police across Melbourne

Simpson captured the interaction through his doorbell’s video camera and was baffled by where the order could have come from. No receipt was attached to the brown paper bag.

“I’m still a little bit worried that maybe people are trying to case out houses, but I know, from what I’ve heard, that no one has actually been robbed that did have a paper bag dropped off so far, which I suppose is a little bit reassuring,” Simpson said.

“But I’m definitely activating the alarm when I leave the house and making sure all the windows and doors are locked just to be extra safe. It’s just the uncertainty of not knowing what it is.”

Coles-brand water bottles have been found in some bags, but the supermarket giant says it has nothing to do with the deliveries. Nor does Uber, but it says it is keeping tabs on the issue.

The mystery, dubbed “toastie gate”, emerged publicly on Friday when listeners alerted 3AW radio host Jacqui Felgate.

Some residents are finding the toasties on their doorstep some time after they’ve been delivered, while others report a back-and-forth with drivers, insisting they are not their orders.

Victoria Police is also confused.

“Police are aware of food items being left outside properties in South Yarra,” a police spokeswoman said.

“At this stage, it is unclear where the food has come from, and no offences have been detected.”

It’s unclear just how many Melburnians have received the deliveries.

Scam Assist head of fraud Simon Smith suspected they could be part of a “brushing scam”, with a driver potentially using the deliveries to increase their rating. Brushing scams involve marketplace sellers posting low-value items to random customers to increase their recorded output, he said.

However, recipients have reported different drivers making the deliveries.

“Food is a bit interesting, and so it seems like it might be some sort of a scam that’s happening maybe at a driver level,” Smith told 3AW.

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