A 30-year-old man was able to get his hands on a personnel-only iPad used at Walt Disney World, which he used to impersonate a tour guide and override obstacles in order to skip lines at attractions.
A Disney fraud investigator and his team had noticed unapproved overrides on a Disney app used to make reservations after having been alerted that someone from outside the company may have gotten their hands on a device intended for employees only.
“The app is used to facilitate entry into the front of the lines without having to stand in line to wait on the ride. The application is a private app for qualifying guests and is only installed on WDW company-owned devices.” Said the sheriff’s report.
The man was caught leading a tour and bypassing lines at the Hollywood Studios theme park on June 4th. The investigator then ordered Disney employees to cancel the reservation before the man boarded the attraction, and then followed the man as he left the park and went to his vehicle. When confronted, the man relinquished the iPad and admitted he was unaware that it was a stolen device. He claimed he had acquired it from a “company” that had given it to him.
The iPad was never reported stolen, nor was able to be traced to a specific department. The man was trespassed from Disney property.