Officially, Meta prohibits fraud. In reality, it just can’t keep up. In dozens of Facebook groups, hundreds of thousands of users freely buy and rent Uber accounts under other people’s identities. This is putting customers at risk, researchers say.
After buying or renting Uber accounts, unverified strangers are able to drive passengers and deliver orders under a false identity, putting customers at risk, a Tech Transparency Project (TTP) investigation has found.
“Need an Uber Eats account in Jacksonville, FL, ASAP,” one user wrote, while another soon added, “Looking for an Uber Eats account to rent in Virginia.”
On a Facebook group with more than 22,000 members called “UBER ACCOUNT FOR RENT WORLDWIDE,” there are dozens of similar exchanges each day.
According to the TTP, a non-profit tech watchdog, there are dozens of similar groups with a combined membership of more than 800,000. Most are totally public, and their members make no secret of why they’re on them.
Uber dangerous trips
There’s a pretty obvious reason for people to trade accounts for Uber, DoorDash, Bolt, and other rideshare and delivery apps.
When acquiring accounts this way, they don’t have to undergo the required screening process. In fact, it’s even possible to get into the business without actually having a valid driver’s license.
This obviously creates risks for users who rely on safety assurances from apps such as Uber to ride in strangers’ cars or order deliveries to their homes. These one-click trips or orders can indeed be dangerous.
Although 99.9% of Uber trips end without any safety-related issues, there were still 2,717 incidents of sexual assault and misconduct reported in the company’s most recent report (2021–2022).
Uber has faced years of lawsuits from women who say they were sexually assaulted by drivers. Lyft, another similar firm, received 23 reports of fatal physical assaults between 2020-2022.
Meta has policies against fraud and bans the selling of “fake or forged documents,” while Facebook groups can’t promote illegal activities. Uber also prohibits fraudulent activities.
Nevertheless, the black market is seemingly thriving on Facebook – and globally. The TTP says in the report that the social network has essentially taken no apparent action to restrict the fraudulent trading process.
Members of the aforementioned group “UBER ACCOUNT FOR RENT WORLDWIDE” – easily found on Google Search – have posted about looking to rent Uber accounts in Paris, London, and Amsterdam; Glasgow, Scotland; Calgary and Vancouver, Canada; Sydney, Melbourne, Perth and Brisbane, Australia; and Cape Town and Durban, South Africa.
Facebook groups are thriving
Seven of the groups identified by the TTP were geared towards Spanish-speaking users in the US. Researchers think this means that the groups may be aimed at undocumented immigrants.
Of course, the going rate varies in each US state. However, users in some groups offer an extensive array of options.
In January, Meta announced it would scale back policy enforcement but promised that its automated systems would effectively root out illegal activity on its platforms.
In a group called “DOORDASH ACCOUNT FOR RENT AND SALE,” one member posted a menu of accounts for sale and rent in March 2024. They included a DoorDash account for sale for $430 or for rent at a rate of $115 every 30 days, an Uber Eats account for sale for $385 for rent at the same $115 rate, and an Uber Driver account for sale for $350 or rent for $115.
The TTP conducted the bulk of its investigation from January to February 2025. As of April 1st, nine of the 80 Facebook groups had been removed, and one changed its focus, but the other 70 remained active, and some had increased their membership.
In January, Meta announced it would scale back policy enforcement but promised that its automated systems would effectively root out illegal activity on its platforms.
But “Facebook is not meeting this lower bar for content moderation” and “is allowing a thriving black market in driver accounts for Uber, DoorDash, and other rideshare and delivery services,” said the TTP, adding that this “fraudulent activity shadows the entire rideshare industry.”
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