NASHVILLE, Tenn. – U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) sent a letter to Meta’s Founder and Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg following reports that the company has allowed black market groups on Facebook with over 22,000 members to fraudulently sell access to rideshare and delivery service accounts, allowing individuals to bypass background checks and driver’s license requirements. 

Last year, Senator Blackburn’s investigation into unvetted illegal immigrants accessing courier accounts on Uber Eats, DoorDash, and Grubhub resulted in all three companies updating their policies and enhancing safety protocols.

Meta Has Failed to Remove Black Market Facebook Groups Buying and Selling Access to Rideshare and Delivery Service Accounts

“I write to express my concern at the reports that Meta has failed to remove black-market groups operating on Facebook wherein individuals buy and sell access to rideshare and delivery service accounts. The unvetted use of these accounts is incredibly dangerous for American consumers, specifically women and children, and I urge you to immediately remove each of these Facebook groups and better enforce existing rules against fraud and deceptive practices.”

Blackburn Previously Led Probe into Illegal Aliens Buying Access to Couriers’ Accounts on Food Delivery Services

“In April 2024, I led a probe into various food delivery services’ account security and courier verification processes after reporting indicated that illegal immigrants were buying access to legitimate couriers’ accounts, thus avoiding background checks and driver’s license requirements. Individuals—especially women, children, and the elderly—rely on safety assurances from these delivery and rideshare services, and I was glad to see DoorDash, Grubhub, and Uber Eats implement more robust driver verification processes following my investigation. Given these platforms’ efforts to crack down on account sharing, it is concerning that Meta has allowed groups like, ‘UBER ACCOUNT FOR RENT WORLDWIDE,’ to flourish with over 22,000 members. Posts in this group were a straightforward violation of the policies of both delivery applications and Meta, like ‘Looking for an Uber eats account to rent in Virginia,’ or ‘Need an Uber Eats account in Jacksonville, FL ASAP.’ While Meta has reportedly removed this specific group, there are as many as 80 similar groups active on Facebook.”

These Security Concerns Have Real, Devastating Impacts on Americans Across the Country 

 “These security concerns are not figurative, but they are having real, devastating impacts on Americans across the country. In one disturbing account, a woman was allegedly raped after ordering an Uber Eats delivery to her home. The application had indicated that a woman would be delivering her order, but instead an illegal immigrant with horrific intentions arrived at her door. Turning a blind eye to these groups operating on your platform is just the latest in many instances of Meta choosing profit over the wellbeing of American consumers. Sadly, instead of protecting users from fraudulent behavior or even sexual misconduct, it seems that Meta has expended its resources preying on our young people and kowtowing to the Chinese Communist Party. Instead of allowing Facebook to remain one of the premier sites for fraud and abuse, you must do more to remove these black-market groups and protect Americans.”

Click here to read the full letter.

RELATED

• Blackburn Probes Top Delivery Services Over Reports of Unvetted Illegal Immigrants Accessing Courier Accounts for Money