The Weekly Breach Breakdown: Who’s Behind the Wheel? The Rise of Uber Driver Fraud

Summary

• Investigations uncovered hundreds of cases where Uber drivers used stolen identities to pass background checks, leaving riders wondering who was actually picking them up. 
• Many victims only discovered the Uber driver fraud after receiving 1099 tax forms for income they never earned from driving for the ride-share company. 
• Experts warn that job applications now range from minor resume padding to “synthetic candidates”—entirely fake identities created to bypass security. 
• Security researchers have found single Social Security numbers being sold online and shared by up to 40 different people to gain illegitimate access to work platforms. 
• New California legislation and class-action lawsuits are seeking to hold gig-economy platforms accountable for failing to properly verify the identities of their workers. 
• If you want to know more or think you have been the victim of identity theft, fraud or a scam, you can speak with an expert Identity Theft Resource Center advisor on the phone or via text message (888.400.5530) or chat live on our company website. 

Full Transcript

Welcome to the Identity Theft Resource Center’s (ITRC’s) Weekly Breach Breakdown for May 22, 2026. I’m Tim Walden. Thanks to Sentilink for their continued support of the podcast and the ITRC. Each week, we look at the most recent events and trends related to data security and privacy. This week, we’re looking at a growing safety and fraud crisis in the gig economy, uncovered by recent investigations – Uber driver fraud. Hundreds of people are driving for Uber using stolen identities.  

For many victims, it starts in the mailbox. They are receiving, or have already received, 1099 tax forms for thousands of dollars in earnings from a job they never had. Federal Trade Commission data shows nearly 400 complaints of this specific Uber driver fraud since 2021, with impostors using stolen names, Social Security numbers (SSNs) and addresses to get hired. 

ITRC CEO Eva Velasquez notes that this is becoming a hallmark of the gig economy. As she told KTLA in an earlier interview, “Because it’s tax time, people will be getting these 1099s for income that they didn’t earn and they didn’t work… this is not, unfortunately, uncommon and we are hearing a lot more of this.” 

The implications go far beyond tax fraud—it’s a major safety concern. As one victim’s wife put it, “Apparently, you never know who’s picking you up”. If an imposter is using your name to drive, it usually means they couldn’t pass a background check on their own. 

Daniel Yanisse, CEO of the background-check company Checkr, notes that we are seeing a rise in “synthetic candidates”—entirely fake people built from stolen data. Even more alarming, some SSNs are being sold online and shared by 20 to 40 different people to access these platforms illegitimately. 

When discussing how these fraudsters get the info to begin with, Eva reminds us of the scale of the Uber driver fraud problem. “We have to understand that our data is out there. It’s in the wild,” she told CBS News Los Angeles. “Your Social Security number and other personal information can be used for employment purposes.” 

This has caught the attention of lawmakers and lawyers. California State Senator Josh Becker has authored new laws to protect consumers, stating that businesses like Uber must be held responsible if they know this fraud is happening. Meanwhile, class-action lawsuits are claiming Uber hasn’t done enough to correct its policies or properly screen drivers. 

Uber has responded by stating they maintain “robust safeguards” and that identity theft is a sophisticated, industry-wide issue. 

For now, this serves as a reminder to watch your mail for unexpected tax documents. If you’re getting a 1099 for work you didn’t perform, it’s a major red flag that your identity is being used as someone else’s “employment”. 

If you want to know more about how to protect your business or personal information, or think you have been the victim of identity theft, fraud or a scam, you can speak with an expert ITRC advisor by phone or text at 888.400.5530 or live chat on our company website. Just visit www.idtheftcenter.org to get started. 

Thanks again to Sentilink for their support of the ITRC and this podcast. Please hit the like button for this episode and subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts. Next week, we will have an episode of our sister podcast, the Fraudian Slip, as we discuss the impact artificial intelligence has on scams with National Cybersecurity Alliance Director of Information Security & Engagement, Cliff Steinhauer. 

We will be back in two weeks with a new episode of the Weekly Breach Breakdown. Until then, thanks for listening.