September 17, 2021 - Brazilian nationals were charged in Boston on a conspiracy to open fraudulent driver accounts with multiple rideshare and delivery service companies. The fraudsters used stolen identities and falsified documents to create fraudulent driver accounts for rent or sale to individuals who might not otherwise qualify to drive for the rideshare or delivery services. The scheme was to exploit referral bonus programs offered by the rideshare and delivery companies and used “bots” and GPS “spoofing” technology to increase the income earned from the companies.
Fraudster’s comprehensive, methodical steps:
- PII Data obtained from Dark Web: Fraudsters used victims’ personal identifying information to apply for driver accounts with the rideshare and delivery companies, enabling defendants to pass those companies’ required background checks and create driver accounts in victims’ names.
- Fake IDs generated from real document: Fraudsters obtained driver’s license images directly from victims, by photographing victims’ licenses while completing an alcohol delivery through one of the services or while exchanging information with victims following vehicle accidents, some of which defendants or co-conspirators intentionally caused in order to obtain victims’ license information. Victims’ driver’s license images were then edited to display photos of the drivers renting or buying the fraudulent accounts in order to circumvent facial recognition technology that the rideshare and delivery companies used as a security measure.
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