California has more rideshare drivers than any other state, more than 800,000 as of late 2025, according to state data. But consumer advocates and alleged victims now say hundreds of those accounts may have been created using stolen identities to bypass Uber's background checks.
"That's a public safety issue," said one alleged identity theft victim who asked not to be identified by name. "People are getting into cars and receiving food from people that are not necessarily the people that they're supposed to be."
When asked if they had ever driven for Uber, two Los Angeles County residents who received such forms responded simply: "No."
Last month, CBS News California Investigates reported on a Woodland Hills couple who showed us a 1099 they received from Uber reporting nearly $7,000 in income earned over two months, even though neither had ever worked as a rideshare driver.
A photo of an email sent by a viewer claiming they received fraudulent tax forms. CBS LAAfter the investigation aired, CBS LA's inbox was flooded with emails from viewers saying the same thing had happened to them. One woman wrote, "I received a 1099 from Uber totaling $4,100 and the individual worked from June-September. I have not been able to get a hold of Uber."
Corey Abrams said that he tried to report it to Uber and was unable to speak to anyone who could assist him.
Lucas Velasquez said he also received a 1099 from Uber last month despite never driving for the company.
CBS News California Investigates reached out to Uber for an interview and asked what the company is doing to ensure drivers are who they claim to be.
In a statement to CBS News California Investigates, Uber said in part, "We want to be clear that we are thoroughly investigating every report we receive. When we identify a fraudulent account, we permanently ban it from our platform and take corrective action, including issuing an updated Form 1099 reflecting $0 in income so that affected individuals do not owe taxes related to fraudulent activity."
Todd Friedman's class-action lawsuit against Uber claims the company failed to properly screen drivers. CBS LA"These cases represent a very small fraction of the millions of tax forms we issue each year, but we take every report seriously and are investigating each one," Uber said.
Friedman said Uber responded by filing a motion to dismiss. He added that his office has been inundated with hundreds of calls from potential victims reporting similar experiences.
Janine Beveridge from Michigan said she received a 1099 reporting earnings under her adult daughter's name, even though her daughter has never driven for Uber.
Friedman said the growing number of cases raises serious concerns about whether passengers can truly know who is driving them.
Uber's full statement to CBS News California Investigates:
Based on our investigation, these cases are consistent with broader identity theft trends in which bad actors use stolen driver's license and Social Security numbers to attempt to create fraudulent accounts. We have not found any evidence that this resulted from unauthorized access to Uber's systems.
We always encourage users to activate our suite of safety features whenever they use Uber including Share My Trip, Audio Recording, and PIN verification among others. You can learn more about them here.
What to do if you believe you are also a victim:
Report the fraud to the IRS
File an FTC complaint
Freeze your credit (optional)
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