Senior Sergeant Kelvin Lloyd said several cafes and restaurants in the central Dunedin area had reported being approached by a well-dressed woman, aged 30-40, who complained about the quality of the food or said it made her ill.
The woman had received hundreds of dollars in compensation, including one refund of $70, from at least six unsuspecting business owners.
"She makes a bit of a fuss."
The woman produced no evidence she had dined at the premises and it was unlikely she was the unluckiest diner in Dunedin, Snr Sgt Lloyd said.
"I am pretty confident she is trying this on."
Police urged food outlets to be vigilant, and to contact police if they had fallen victim to the ruse.
The Terrace Bar duty manager Warren Halford said he was approached by the woman, who claimed she had become ill after eating a takeaway steak meal.
With no receipt produced and no takeaway steak meals having been sold on the date and time alleged, Mr Halford told her, "We aren't going to fall for it."
