Merivett Primera had been a DoorDash delivery driver for four years as a way to earn some extra money on the weekends. She says she never ran into any issues, but earlier this year, that all changed.Primera says on Feb. 13, she received an email from DoorDash saying her password had been reset. The problem? She never reset it and she was locked out of her account.She tried to contact the company to clear up the mistake, but she says she wasn’t able to prove that someone else was logging into her account. “I managed to prove I’m the owner of the account because this is my birthday, it’s all my data, but they tell me the email and phone number do not match,” Primera told sister station KCRA in Spanish.Primera said eventually, she just tried to close the account, to be sure no one else was using it. But that didn’t work either.“I called to close the account, they said no, the account is still open. They say even today, they have made deliveries. They can see the activity in the account under my Social Security number,” she said. That’s when Primera realized someone was actually taking over her account, operating as if they were her.“With these apps and accounts, whether it’s DoorDash or Uber or Lyft … you are going to see desperate people looking to take over those accounts,” said Eva Velasquez, president and CEO of the Identity Theft Resource Center.Velasquez says people may take over accounts like this for a variety of reasons, including that they don’t have their own social security number or can’t meet other employment criteria.“We are actually seeing a very slight uptick, but a noticeable number of individuals, who are calling us and saying that their credentials, i.e., their social security number, is being used for employment purposes,” Velasquez said.In 2021, 19 people were charged in a nationwide scheme, accused of setting up fraudulent driver accounts with various rideshare and delivery companies. As part of the scheme, Clovis Placido of Citrus Heights was charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. Prosecutors say the defendants were renting and selling fraudulent accounts to drivers who might not otherwise qualify to drive for those services.Security experts say this kind of crime could start happening more often.“DoorDasher accounts that are in good standing might have value on the dark web, and bad actors may look to find them to pick up a side gig,” said Sean McNee, vice president of internet intelligence company DomainTools.A quick search on Facebook Marketplace reveals side gigs for sale. There are dozens of ads for rented accounts. According to the DoorDash website, under DoorDash rules, drivers are allowed to have others drive for them or drop off deliveries, but that person would also need a valid Dasher account.In Primera’s case, she never authorized anyone else to take over.KCRA asked DoorDash for comment. In a statement, the company said: “While these incidents of fraud are not unique to DoorDash, we’re saddened that this Dasher was the victim of such a sophisticated account takeover scam. We have been in direct contact with the Dasher to resolve the issue, offer our support and get them back on our platform securely.We regularly remind Dashers to keep their account information secure and frequently share tips with them on how to avoid these types of attacks. If a Dasher ever receives a request for any of their account details or suspects their account has been compromised in any manner, we urge them to contact DoorDash Support immediately.”Primera says a DoorDash representative called her one day after KCRA gave them her name and asked about her claims. She says that the person informed her that her account had been closed. The company told us the account had been closed on April 4.She’s concerned even though the account is closed, her troubles aren’t over.”Unfortunately, she’s going to have to pay a very close eye on the earnings and wages reported to the IRS and the Social Security Administration,” Velasquez said.”Right now, I’m only seeing a small piece of the problem,” Primera said. “But I’m sure that it will be much, much greater.”
Merivett Primera had been a DoorDash delivery driver for four years as a way to earn some extra money on the weekends. She says she never ran into any issues, but earlier this year, that all changed.
Primera says on Feb. 13, she received an email from DoorDash saying her password had been reset. The problem? She never reset it and she was locked out of her account.
She tried to contact the company to clear up the mistake, but she says she wasn’t able to prove that someone else was logging into her account.
“I managed to prove I’m the owner of the account because this is my birthday, it’s all my data, but they tell me the email and phone number do not match,” Primera told sister station KCRA in Spanish.
Primera said eventually, she just tried to close the account, to be sure no one else was using it. But that didn’t work either.
“I called to close the account, they said no, the account is still open. They say even today, they have made deliveries. They can see the activity in the account under my Social Security number,” she said.
That’s when Primera realized someone was actually taking over her account, operating as if they were her.
“With these apps and accounts, whether it’s DoorDash or Uber or Lyft … you are going to see desperate people looking to take over those accounts,” said Eva Velasquez, president and CEO of the Identity Theft Resource Center.
Velasquez says people may take over accounts like this for a variety of reasons, including that they don’t have their own social security number or can’t meet other employment criteria.
“We are actually seeing a very slight uptick, but a noticeable number of individuals, who are calling us and saying that their credentials, i.e., their social security number, is being used for employment purposes,” Velasquez said.
In 2021, 19 people were charged in a nationwide scheme, accused of setting up fraudulent driver accounts with various rideshare and delivery companies. As part of the scheme, Clovis Placido of Citrus Heights was charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. Prosecutors say the defendants were renting and selling fraudulent accounts to drivers who might not otherwise qualify to drive for those services.
Security experts say this kind of crime could start happening more often.
“DoorDasher accounts that are in good standing might have value on the dark web, and bad actors may look to find them to pick up a side gig,” said Sean McNee, vice president of internet intelligence company DomainTools.
A quick search on Facebook Marketplace reveals side gigs for sale. There are dozens of ads for rented accounts. According to the DoorDash website, under DoorDash rules, drivers are allowed to have others drive for them or drop off deliveries, but that person would also need a valid Dasher account.
In Primera’s case, she never authorized anyone else to take over.
KCRA asked DoorDash for comment. In a statement, the company said:
“While these incidents of fraud are not unique to DoorDash, we’re saddened that this Dasher was the victim of such a sophisticated account takeover scam. We have been in direct contact with the Dasher to resolve the issue, offer our support and get them back on our platform securely.
We regularly remind Dashers to keep their account information secure and frequently share tips with them on how to avoid these types of attacks. If a Dasher ever receives a request for any of their account details or suspects their account has been compromised in any manner, we urge them to contact DoorDash Support immediately.”
Primera says a DoorDash representative called her one day after KCRA gave them her name and asked about her claims. She says that the person informed her that her account had been closed. The company told us the account had been closed on April 4.
She’s concerned even though the account is closed, her troubles aren’t over.
“Unfortunately, she’s going to have to pay a very close eye on the earnings and wages reported to the IRS and the Social Security Administration,” Velasquez said.
“Right now, I’m only seeing a small piece of the problem,” Primera said. “But I’m sure that it will be much, much greater.”
