If you shop at Food Lion, Hannaford, Stop & Shop or Giant, be careful with any text or email this week about a grocery refund, a "problem with your order" or your rewards account. Their parent company, Ahold Delhaize, has confirmed a cybersecurity issue that took the chains' websites and apps offline. Food Lion and Stop & Shop have both said that unfilled online orders will be refunded. That gives scammers a believable story to tell, and it works on business inboxes just as well as household ones.
What the company has confirmed
- The issue: Ahold Delhaize says it is "experiencing a cybersecurity issue within its network" and took "some systems offline to help protect them." It first said so on October 12, 2026 (Ahold Delhaize).
- What's down: Websites and apps for Food Lion, Hannaford, Stop & Shop, Giant Food and The GIANT Company went offline (Progressive Grocer, Boston Globe). Hannaford says its To Go pickup and delivery service is also affected (WCVB).
- Stores: The company says its stores remain open. Stop & Shop says its pharmacies and gas stations are open too (WCVB). Food Lion says pharmacy customers should call their local store (WXII).
- Data: "We have no evidence at this moment that customer and associate data was taken," the company said on October 13. It also said the investigation is still ongoing.
- Recovery: As of October 13, the company says it is "in the process of starting a controlled re-launch of certain systems." It has not given a date for full restoration.
What isn't known
The company hasn't said what caused the problem or who was behind it, and it says it won't share details while the investigation continues. Treat any post or message that names a cause or a group as a guess until the company confirms it.
The scams to expect
Big, public outages bring copycat messages. Here's what to watch for:
- Refund bait: "Your order was canceled. Click to claim your refund." These ask for card or bank details.
- Order problems: "We couldn't process your delivery. Confirm your payment."
- Loyalty points: "Your rewards are about to expire because of the outage. Log in now."
- "Verify your account": fake login pages that steal passwords, which then get tried on email and banking sites.
Food Lion and Stop & Shop said unfilled online orders will be refunded. No source says customers need to click a link or re-enter card details to get one.
"A real refund doesn't need you to click a link. When a big brand is in the news, every 'confirm your refund' message is a scam until you've checked it yourself."
The takeaway
A breach is only one way a vendor can hurt you. A vendor can also simply go offline. Plenty of small businesses run their ordering, payments or scheduling through a single outside platform. When that platform pulls itself offline as a precaution, you lose it too, with no warning and no restore date.
What to do this week
- Warn your staff today. Send one line: grocery refund and order messages are likely fake. Don't click them. Check the store's app or call the store.
- Never "verify" through a link. Type the store's address yourself, or use an app you already have installed.
- Change reused passwords. If a grocery account password is also used for email or banking, change it there first.
- Watch company cards. If your team buys supplies online from these chains, check those charges and refunds against your own records.
- List your single-vendor dependencies. Write down every platform your business can't take orders or payments without, and the manual backup for each one.
- Test the backup. The grocers pointed customers to Instacart, DoorDash and Uber Eats. Know what your version of that is, and who flips the switch.
How Brotherly Technology can help
Brotherly Technology helps small businesses in Rome, Northwest Georgia and beyond train staff to spot phishing and plan for the day a key vendor goes dark. If you want a quick review of your vendor dependencies and backup plans, give us a call.