'Incredibly vulnerable' industry becomes new target for scammers

Delivery drivers are becoming a prime target for increasingly sophisticated phishing scams, leaving many facing substantial financial losses. These scams exploit the drivers' often-exhausted state and the urgency of their work to trick them into compromising their personal information.

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It's like they have a script. They're super confident in everything they say. It's pretty easy to get swept off your feet at the time.

Andrew Rhodes, a 26-year-old DoorDash driver, fell victim to such a scam while working late. He received a call and an automated message impersonating DoorDash support, claiming his order was canceled due to fraud. He was then persuaded to confirm identity details, which ultimately led to approximately $200 in earnings being stolen from his account. Weeks later, another $150 vanished.

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We've got an incredibly vulnerable group of workers that are already struggling. And then there's very little recourse for the workers in that the problem is they can't then contact the platform easily to get it resolved, to complain, to check on the identity [of the scammer], to see what's going on.

These incidents are part of a growing trend targeting gig economy workers, particularly delivery drivers, who are often juggling multiple jobs to make ends meet. The Transport Workers Union (TWU) has reported a surge in complaints over the past six months, successfully recovering over $50,000 in stolen funds for drivers, including one individual who lost $21,000.

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So, they're being penalised for being the victim. There's a kind of double issue with this.

Emily McMillan, national secretary of the TWU, described the drivers as an "incredibly vulnerable group" who are already struggling. She pointed out the significant difficulties drivers face when trying to resolve these issues with platforms like DoorDash and Uber, citing "skeleton staff" and limited recourse. This often leaves drivers locked out of their accounts, unable to earn income, and feeling penalized for being victims of fraud.

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It's fantastic that we now have a mechanism where drivers can come to the union and we can act as a conduit for them, but it's not good enough that they need that to happen and we need to force that issue with platforms.