A man was left baffled to find a fully grown man with a beard at his doorstep after being told by the UberEats app that a female driver was on the way.
Last Saturday – similar to many other Brits dotted around the country – Matt Stevens, 21, ordered a take-away to his home in Greenwich, London.
Based on information provided by the UberEats app, Mr Stevens expected a female driver to deliver his food at around 9.30pm.
But when his delicious delivery arrived the 21-year-old was shocked to find a man with a beard at his door with his dinner in tow.
‘I walk outside, and there’s a fully grown man out there,’ Matt told MailOnline: ‘So I thought, this can’t be my delivery.’
After double-checking his details with the courier, it soon dawned on the young man that it was in fact his food – and his delivery driver.
Following the incident, Matt quickly took a snap of the driver because he wasn’t sure if he was ‘losing his mind’.
But despite claiming to have reported the incident Uber, Matt said he received no response until his social media post about the matter went viral.
Matt Stevens from Greenwich (pictured) was left ‘astonished’ and ‘horrified’ when a male delivery Uber driver arrived at his doorstep
Despite the app claiming a female courier was on the way, a man with a fully grown beard arrived at his door in Greenwich
‘I was quite surprised. I took the takeaway, and I took a quick photo of him because I wanted to report it to Uber to find out what was going on,’ he said.
‘And I’ve just got a string of automated messages from them. They just don’t care about it clearly.’
‘It was staggering and it’s really important, not for me – I’m a fully grown man and I was scared – but I can imagine, for a woman in particular this would be astonishingly scary.
‘We have a political class that likes to sit and talk about women and girls safety, which is very admirable but this is something that puts that directly at risk.’
Taking matters into his own hands Matt shared his experience on X, in a tweet that has now been viewed 30.1 million times.
‘I’ve had lots of messages from people all over the world telling me this has happened to them,’ he said.
‘I’ve had people in the UK sending me their ring doorbell screenshots. It’s happening all over the world and all over the country.
‘It was only a bit scary for me I am a man but for a young woman, aged sort of 17 or 18, living on her own.
‘I can imagine this is quite a scary experience encountering a man who she knows not to be documented.’
It comes after MailOnline exclusively uncovered drivers are renting out their accounts for thousands of pounds to illegal immigrant men who want to get around criminal record and employment checks.
A screenshot showing the details of Matt’s order on UberEats
Matt’s viral tweet alongside his correspondence with Uber on the social media platform
Account holders must verify their age, right to work, insurance and undergo a background check, including a criminal record check, before they can begin delivering for Uber Eats.
But some successful applicants go on to charge large amounts of money for access to their accounts for total strangers – who may have a criminal record or be unable to work illegally in the UK – raking in as much as £5,720 per year.
Uber’s website states: ‘At any point during the delivery process, you may choose to have someone else deliver on your behalf, provided they meet the safety conditions.
‘If you choose to do this, you should keep in mind that you are still fully responsible for all activities performed on your account, either by you or by your substitute.’
Its conditions include that any substitute is over 18, have the right to work in the UK, pass a criminal background check and insurance.
And it relies on delivery drivers officially registering the substitutes online – while some rent out their account without performing any checks.
UberEats substitution conditions also says: ‘You are not required to tell Uber Eats before you use a substitute.
‘However, you will be asked to register them within 48 hours of that substitute providing delivery services on your behalf.
Unvetted Uber Eats delivery drivers are renting other people’s accounts online for as much as £5,720 per year, allowing them to circumvent criminal record and employment checks (stock image)
MailOnline found some Uber Eats accounts being rented for £110 per week – or £5,720 per year
‘This is to verify that they have the right to work in the UK. If they do not, you may lose access to your account.’
Following the incident, Matt began to further learn about the ‘legal loophole’ previously discovered by MailOnline.
‘The whole point of using Uber is so that you can know who’s delivering the food to you,’ Matt added.
‘You know they’re trusted, they’ve got a rating, so you know who they are and you know it’s safe to order with them – but not anymore apparently.’
The 21-year-old compared it to hypothetically allowing teachers to get their friends to take cover lessons.
‘It would be as if there was a teacher, and the teacher was off sick and said, “Oh, it’s okay. I’ve got a friend who can cover the lesson”,’ he said.
‘These substitute drivers. They go through no checks. It’s dangerous and it’s putting people’s life and safety at risk,’ he added.
Describing it as a ‘terrifying’ ordeal, he said of his delivery driver: ‘Nobody in the world knows who he is.
‘They’ve got no way of knowing whether they’re an illegal immigrant. We’ve got thousands in London. So who knows?
‘I certainly wouldn’t want someone with a criminal record on my doorstep, and I’m sure that majority of this country would feel the same.
‘These corporations [Uber] have got to get a grip of it. They are putting profit before customer safety and that’s a real problem.’
Matt suggested the app implement a regular face ID check to ensure the accurate courier is carrying out the service, whilst also calling on the government to take legislative action.
‘The government have to legislate against this.. Companies can act now, but they’re not because it’s not in their interest to act because of their lose profits money and drivers.’
Matt has since contacted his local MP, Matthew Pennycook, who is the Housing Minister and is awaiting a response about the matter.
Dozens of Facebook groups have been set up specifically for people to rent or sell accounts – which breaks Meta’s terms of use
Usually if a firm employs someone who does not have the right to work in the UK and failed to ensure they do, they can be fined up to £60,000 per worker.
But because Uber Eats drivers are self-employed, neither Uber nor the account holders are liable to any penalties if people working illegally are subject to penalty under employment legislation.
Instead, if an account holder is found to be using a substitute without the right to work, all that happens is their account may be closed.
Partner at UK law firm Freeths Emma Booksbrank, which specialises in immigration employment law, previously said delivery firms are coming under increasing pressure due to the rise of people accessing accounts despite not having the right to work in the UK.
‘Firms such as Uber Eats are allowed to offer access to a substitute but the companies have been under increasing amounts of pressure because there has been this rise in illegal immigrants gaining access.
‘They have always maintained workers are self-employed, and when challenges have been brought against them for employment rights, they’ve gone all the way up to the supreme court.
‘Uber are not actually employing the substitutes as all delivery personnel are self-employed.
‘The account holders are also not liable under right to work legislation. Companies can be fined anywhere from £45,000 to £60,000, but the account holders are not acting as employers because substitute drivers are also self-employed.
‘It is a gap, a loophole in the law, and that’s why it’s happening.’
An Uber Eats spokesperson: ‘All couriers who use the Uber Eats app, whether it is the account holder or their substitute, must undergo checks to ensure they are over eighteen and have a legal right to work in the UK.
‘We require couriers to register their substitutes so that we can verify their right to work. Account holders using substitutes who do not have the legal right to work in the United Kingdom will permanently lose access to their account.
‘If a courier has been flagged for any breach in our community guidelines including unlawful or unsafe behaviour we investigate and take appropriate action on the account, including permanently removing access to the app.
‘We are constantly reviewing and improving existing processes to ensure they are as robust as possible.’
MailOnline has approached the Home Office for comment.
