CALIFORNIA — Drivers working for Uber, Lyft and DoorDash in California have used rented or stolen accounts to deliver food and transport passengers, an investigation completed in March 2026 found. Accounts for the platforms can be bought or rented online without providing identification, and listings advertising them appeared on Facebook Marketplace and Instagram.

The inquiry began after viewers emailed concerns to CBS LA's Investigative Team describing situations in which the person delivering their food or groceries did not resemble the profile photo shown in the app. Buying an account means taking full ownership of it, while renting means using it for a fixed period of time.

Sergio Avedian, a longtime Uber and Lyft driver and contributor to "The Rideshare Guy" YouTube channel, located those listings. "I can buy myself a ready-to-go account to either drive Uber, Lyft, or deliver. I'll just pay the middleman a few hundred dollars and I'm delivering or driving passengers," Avedian said. He said many individuals using rented or bought accounts likely would not pass the background checks required by the platforms, and asked, "Is the consumer safe?"

Reporters contacted online sellers advertising delivery accounts through Facebook Marketplace. "Not having a driver's license is no problem," one seller communicating in Spanish said. Another said all that was needed was a photo without filters.

Reporters placed eight delivery orders through DoorDash and Uber Eats over several hours on a Friday in March 2026. Two deliveries involved drivers who did not match profile photos. An order from Jamba Juice was assigned to a bearded man named Aram, but the person who arrived appeared younger and clean-shaven. A Juice Crafters order listed a blonde woman as the driver, but a young man arrived instead.

Charles Bledsoe, who lives in an RV in California's high desert and relies on delivery services because of mobility issues, said a driver who did not match the online profile once attempted to force entry into his RV. Bledsoe displayed a firearm, the driver left, and DoorDash refunded the order after he reported the incident. He said he later tracked driver matches and found eight out of ten did not match.

"What Mr. Bledsoe experienced is deeply concerning and something no one should have to go through," a DoorDash spokesperson said. The company permanently removed the associated Dasher account and said it was prepared to support law enforcement. "Account sharing is a clear violation of our policies, and we have zero tolerance for it," DoorDash said in a separate statement, adding that buying and selling Dasher accounts is strictly prohibited and that such listings are often outright scams.

An Uber spokesperson said, "Fraud is a complex issue and bad actors find new ways of scamming and defrauding companies," adding the company is not immune to identity theft. Lyft said its Terms of Service strictly prohibit account sharing or buying and selling accounts and that violations can lead to a permanent ban, citing annual criminal background checks, mandatory community safety education, and continuous driving record checks.

The California Public Utilities Commission received four complaints against Uber and one against Lyft in the past two years involving drivers using stolen identities. In 2024, California legislators passed a law requiring delivery platforms to provide customers the name and a picture of the driver.

"I'm looking at what we can do so that we ensure people who are having background checks are the people that they say they are as background checks are being conducted," Rep. Debbie Dingell said. She said verifying drivers in person and checking IDs may ultimately be necessary, and that she would immediately ask questions about account sales and rentals.