Amazon, Uber Let Criminals Use 'Fake Driver' Scam to Become Your Driver

Some of the largest delivery companies in the United States, including Amazon, Uber, and various food delivery firms, reportedly fell victim to a basic “fake driver” scam, according to a recent Justice Department complaint. The scam involved selling driver identities to others, meaning criminals could deliver customer’s food or drive them to the airport.

Forbes reports that Homeland Security and Frankie DiGiacco, a former prosecutor for the Southern California branch of the Justice Department, were tipped off last year to a case in which Brazilian nationals appeared to have stolen thousands of ride-share and delivery company customer identities across California.

Companies affected included Amazon, Uber and its Eats division, Instacart, Doordash, Postmate, Lyft, and Grubhub. The stolen identities were sued to create driver and courier accounts at these companies.

These could then be sold or rented to anyone who wanted them, including people who usually wouldn’t qualify for employment at ride-share and delivery companies, such as illegal immigrants, convicted criminals, or those who cannot legally drive in the U.S.

Those taking part in the scam could even claim referral bonuses, sometimes as much as $1,500, for finding new drivers, a Department of Justice investigation found. This information comes from a DOJ complaint against five Brazilian nationals filed in the Southern District of California federal court earlier this month.

DiGiacco, who is now a partner at the law firm Hillier DiGiacco, commented that what struck him as most surprising was how easily the companies fell for the scam and how it could have been prevented.

To steal identities, the suspects use basic tricks. If they were delivering alcohol, they would ask customers for proof of age and use phones to photograph drivers’ licenses and other ID cards. Photos were then used to create fake identification cards.

The doctored licenses were basic; the criminals simply swapped out photos on victims’ identity cards with their own or buyer’s photos using simple Photoshop skills. In at least one case, the criminal change the main photo but not the one in the smaller watermark.

“This is not such an incredibly technologically sophisticated hacking of the platforms,” DiGiacco said. “They’re just taking a headshot and moving it on to the ID and submitting that photo. I think most people that are probably more well versed in the technology than I am will tell you that in 2021, there are better ways to verify someone’s identity… I think they need to do more.”