Deliveroo, Uber Eats, and Just Eat have agreed to enhance their security measures in response to reports of asylum seekers working illegally as couriers.
The companies have committed to increasing facial recognition and fraud checks to prevent individuals without the right to work in the UK from using someone else’s account to earn money illegally.
Asylum seekers are not permitted to work for the first 12 months of their stay in the UK or until their asylum application is approved.
However, there have been concerns that some migrants staying in government asylum hotels have been using food delivery apps to earn money.
The government has stated that there is evidence of “illicit account sharing” that allows individuals to work for these companies illegally.
As a result, Deliveroo, Uber Eats, and Just Eat have agreed to increase the use of facial recognition and fraud detection technology to ensure that only registered account holders can work on their platforms.
Deliveroo and Uber Eats will also increase the frequency and sophistication of their verification checks, while Just Eat will conduct checks on a daily basis rather than monthly.
The government has announced that these new measures will be implemented within the next 90 days.
“This government will not ignore illegal working,” stated Dame Angela Eagle, Minister for Border Security and Asylum. “It harms legitimate businesses, impacts wages, and benefits human trafficking organizations.”
In the past year, Deliveroo, Uber Eats, and Just Eat have introduced voluntary right-to-work checks for all account holders and registered “substitute” drivers. However, the government has expressed concerns that there is still abuse in the sector.
Last week, The Sun newspaper reported that migrants crossing the English Channel were able to rent out other people’s Deliveroo and Just Eat delivery accounts through social media groups.
The report revealed that asylum seekers were earning up to £1,000 a week through these apps, and there were numerous online forums where legal riders were subletting their accounts for as little as £40 per week.
Following these reports, the government met with the three companies on Monday.
A spokesperson for Deliveroo stated that the company has a “zero-tolerance approach to any misuse of our platform” and is committed to strengthening their measures by increasing daily facial recognition checks.
Uber Eats also stated that they will continue to invest in advanced tools to detect illegal work and remove fraudulent accounts, while Just Eat reiterated their commitment to protecting the integrity of their network.
In March, the government announced that companies hiring individuals in the gig economy would be legally required to conduct checks to ensure that they are eligible to work in the UK, bringing them in line with other employers.
Businesses that fail to carry out these checks could face severe penalties, including fines of up to £60,000 per worker, business closures, director disqualifications, and potential prison sentences of up to five years.