Mounting claims of identity theft involving fake Uber accounts raise passenger safety concerns
An investigation by CBS News California Investigates has uncovered mounting allegations that stolen identities are being used to create fraudulent Uber driver accounts, raising questions about passenger safety and the company's driver verification process.
California has more rideshare drivers than any other state, more than 800,000 as of late 2025, according to state data. But consumer advocates and alleged victims now say hundreds of those accounts may have been created using stolen identities to bypass Uber's background checks.
The allegations surfaced after several people across the country reported receiving tax forms showing income from Uber, despite never signing up to drive for the company.
"That's a public safety issue," said one alleged identity theft victim who asked not to be identified by name. "People are getting into cars and receiving food from people that are not necessarily the people that they're supposed to be."
Many victims say they discovered the problem only after receiving IRS Form 1099 documents listing earnings from Uber.
When asked if they had ever driven for Uber, two Los Angeles County residents who received such forms responded simply: "No."
Last month, CBS News California Investigates reported on a Woodland Hills couple who showed us a 1099 they received from Uber reporting nearly $7,000 in income earned over two months, even though neither had ever worked as a rideshare driver.
"You use Uber knowing that they make claims that all of the Uber drivers are background checked, criminal record checked, and you feel safe using an Uber," said Anna Kojoyan, the wife of one alleged victim. "But apparently you never know who's picking you up."
After the investigation aired, CBS LA's inbox was flooded with emails from viewers saying the same thing had happened to them. One woman wrote, "I received a 1099 from Uber totaling $4,100 and the individual worked from June-September. I have not been able to get a hold of Uber."
Another man's email said, "I just received 1099s for $12,000 from Uber even though I have never driven with them." One woman in Arizona saw our report and wrote: "The same thing happened to my husband 2 years ago."
Corey Abrams said that he tried to report it to Uber and was unable to speak to anyone who could assist him.
"I've contacted them many times," Abrams said. "I uploaded all the documentation they asked for in their fraudulent section of their website, which I somehow managed to find. No responses, no communication at all."
Lucas Velasquez said he also received a 1099 from Uber last month despite never driving for the company.
"When I asked what the next steps were or what was going to happen, they just told me that someone would be in contact with me," Velasquez said. "It's been a few weeks, and I still haven't heard anything."
CBS News California Investigates reached out to Uber for an interview and asked what the company is doing to ensure drivers are who they claim to be.
The company declined an interview and did not respond to a series of written questions submitted Feb. 23 and again Feb. 25.
In a statement to CBS News California Investigates, Uber said in part, "We want to be clear that we are thoroughly investigating every report we receive. When we identify a fraudulent account, we permanently ban it from our platform and take corrective action, including issuing an updated Form 1099 reflecting $0 in income so that affected individuals do not owe taxes related to fraudulent activity."
The company added that, based on its investigations, the cases are consistent with broader identity theft trends. Uber said protecting the integrity of its platform and the safety of the riders and drivers is the top priority.
"These cases represent a very small fraction of the millions of tax forms we issue each year, but we take every report seriously and are investigating each one," Uber said.
Consumer rights attorney Todd Friedman filed a class-action lawsuit against Uber in 2024, alleging the company failed to properly screen drivers.
Friedman said Uber responded by filing a motion to dismiss. He added that his office has been inundated with hundreds of calls from potential victims reporting similar experiences.
Reports of alleged identity theft tied to Uber driver accounts are not limited to California. Victims from across the U.S. say they have received similar tax forms.
Janine Beveridge from Michigan said she received a 1099 reporting earnings under her adult daughter's name, even though her daughter has never driven for Uber.
"To think there could be criminals and they're driving us around — I thought, being that we are in a vehicle by Uber, that it was legitimate," Beveridge said.
Friedman said the growing number of cases raises serious concerns about whether passengers can truly know who is driving them.
"Based on the rate it's been happening," he said. "I don't think you can."
Uber's full statement to CBS News California Investigates:
"We want to be clear that we are thoroughly investigating every report we receive. When we identify a fraudulent account, we permanently ban it from our platform and take corrective action, including issuing an updated Form 1099 reflecting $0 in income so that affected individuals do not owe taxes related to fraudulent activity.
Based on our investigation, these cases are consistent with broader identity theft trends in which bad actors use stolen driver's license and Social Security numbers to attempt to create fraudulent accounts. We have not found any evidence that this resulted from unauthorized access to Uber's systems.
Protecting the integrity of our platform and the safety of riders and drivers is a top priority. These cases represent a very small fraction of the millions of tax forms we issue each year, but we take every report seriously and are investigating each one.
We always encourage users to activate our suite of safety features whenever they use Uber including Share My Trip, Audio Recording, and PIN verification among others. You can learn more about them here.
Identity theft is a serious crime. We encourage anyone who believes they may have been affected to reach out to us so we can investigate promptly."
What to do if you believe you are also a victim:
File a police report at your local substation
