Job seekers warned to watch out for bogus delivery driver roles

The Insurance Fraud Bureau (IFB) is warning job seekers to be vigilant following evidence that fraudsters are exploiting the state of the job market by advertising bogus delivery driver roles in order to steal applicants’ identity and car insurance details.

The IFB is currently investigating a number of fraudulent motor insurance claims used in conjunction with suspected Crash for Cash scams, which have been facilitated with insurance details believed to have been stolen from job applicants.

IFB insight shows fraudsters have been advertising courier roles on social media and some classified ads websites. Candidates will be told that their application is successful and then asked for personal information including their name, address, date of birth, car insurance details and a photo of their driving licence, in order to be set up as a delivery driver.

Unbeknown to the job applicants, the fraudsters will then using their details to try and hi-jack their insurance policy and if successful use this to support a contrived (imaginary) motor collision with a another high-value vehicle insured by the fraudster or an accomplice.

The fraudster claiming to be the innocent job seeker will often admit liability for the imagined accident, while the accomplice will act as the injured party in the other vehicle.  

The fraudsters and their associates will then use doctored images and documentation to support their claim, often exaggerating the extent of damage, injury and associated costs to increase the claim value.

Stephen Dalton, Head of Intelligence and Investigations at the IFB, said:

“Fraudsters have never been afraid to exploit people’s hardship - sadly the many who have become unemployed due to the disruption of Covid-19 may find themselves more likely to be targeted by a scammer. We recommend job applicants are vigilant when applying for roles that require personal information and to report any suspicions of an insurance scam to the IFB CheatLine on 0800 422 0421.”

Since the coronavirus outbreak, the IFB has noticed more fraudsters are capitalising on the state of the job market to use recruitment as a tool to phish personal information from innocent victims and commit insurance fraud, along with other financial crimes.

It is recommended to those who are job hunting – especially those looking for delivery driver roles – to be vigilant, and only apply to reputable companies and through their website to help ensure personal information is kept secure.

Anyone with suspicions of an insurance scam can report this confidentially and anonymously to the IFB’s CheatLine, via an online form or via the phone line (powered by Crimestoppers) on 0800 422 0421.