Not all Uber users will experience driver fraud but it remains a possibility on the platform that connects drivers with riders. In this case, driver fraud means that the person who shows up as the Uber driver when you book a ride is not the same that turns up when your car arrives. To eliminate this possibility and provide more security to its users, Uber has now rolled out a new security measure that makes drivers take selfies. This security measure will gradually be rolled out across the entire United States.
Uber calls it Real-Time ID Check and it relies on Microsoft’s machine learning systems to immediately compare a fresh selfie against the driver’s registered profile picture. Uber says that this has actually been designed as a safety measure for both drivers and riders.
Drivers will be asked to take a selfie in the Uber driver app “periodically” before they are allowed to pick up a ride. If the selfie is found to not match with the one that Uber has on file, the company temporarily locks the account until it can look into the matter.
This means that riders will almost always get the person that they have been told is their driver in the Uber app. They can be sure that this person went through Uber’s onboarding process which includes background checks and other training.
Uber says that this system has been created with a driver’s best interested in mind as it will also help prevent them against identity theft. The company is gradually rolling out Real-Time ID check in cities across the United States. Uber is yet to confirm if this feature will also be rolled out globally.
Filed in . Read more about Uber. Source: newsroom.uber