‘Incredibly concerning’: Facebook black market groups offer rideshare and delivery driver accounts for sale, researchers say
CNN
“Need an Uber Eats account in Jacksonville, FL ASAP.” “I have one.”
“Need an Uber Eats account in Jacksonville, FL ASAP.” “I have one.” “Looking for an Uber eats account to rent in Virginia.” “Available.” Those exchanges were found on a public Facebook group with more than 22,000 members called “UBER ACCOUNT FOR RENT WORLDWIDE.” It’s just one of 80 Facebook groups where users regularly discuss buying, selling and renting driver accounts for Uber, DoorDash and UK-based Deliveroo that were identified in a new report from the non-profit tech watchdog Tech Transparency Project, which CNN received exclusively ahead of its Monday release. These Facebook “black market groups” could let people bypass those platforms’ background checks and driver’s license requirements to fraudulently pose as a credentialed driver or delivery worker, researchers wrote in the report. And that could create risks for users who rely on safety assurances from apps such as Uber and DoorDash to ride in strangers’ cars or order deliveries to their homes. “It’s incredibly concerning because part of the reason Uber has been such an attractive tool for women, in particular, is because there’s some sort of semblance of safety when there’s tracking of who this person is … if something were to happen,” said Tech Transparency Project Director Katie Paul. “If that’s not the case, then what’s the point of using this platform?” A Meta spokesperson said the company would review the report and remove any content that violated its rules. Five Facebook groups were removed after CNN flagged them to Meta — including “UBER ACCOUNT FOR RENT WORLDWIDE” — for violating the company’s “Rules, Scams and Deceptive Practices” policy.
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