'This is scary': California man got a tax slip for $7K he never earned after Uber driver stole his identity, couple says

'This is scary': California man got a tax slip for $7K he never earned after Uber driver stole his identity, couple says Vahik Tatoosi was confused after receiving a welcome packet from Uber back in September, since the San Fernando Valley resident says he never applied for a job at the ridesharing company. That confusion turned to panic a few months later when tax forms detailing nearly $7,000 earned from gig work in his name suddenly appeared in his mailbox. Must Read - Thanks to Jeff Bezos, you can now become a landlord for as little as $100 — and no, you don't have to deal with tenants or fix freezers. Here's how - This 20-year-old lotto winner refused $1M in cash and chose $1,000/week for life. Now she’s getting slammed for it. Which option would you pick? - Dave Ramsey warns nearly 50% of Americans are making 1 big Social Security mistake — here’s what it is and the simple steps to fix it ASAP “This is scary,” Tatoosi told CBS News Los Angeles in a story published Feb. 11 (1). Tatoosi and his wife, Anna Kojoyan, suspect his identity was stolen and used to gain wages from the rideshare company. After struggling to contact Uber directly, the couple says they resorted to using the app’s live chat feature to reach customer support, but had yet to hear back. The experience has left Kojoyan worried about the reliability of Uber’s screening process. If her husband’s identity could be stolen, she expressed concern to the broadcaster that “apparently you never know who's picking you up” for a ride. Uber’s website shows the company uses third-party providers to conduct background checks on potential drivers in the U.S. Applicants must submit a Social Security number, full name, date of birth, government-issued identification and a live profile photo to be approved, according to CBS News Los Angeles. The broadcaster says the company declined an on-camera interview, but did confirm Tatoosi’s complaint had been escalated. In a follow-up report by CBS News Los Angeles on mounting claims of identity theft, Uber issued a statement that read, in part: “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” (2). In the meantime, Tatoosi and Kojoyan say they’ve taken proactive measures, such as freezing their credit and enrolling in a credit-monitoring service, as they work with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to remove the added income from his record. Employment identity theft Employment identity theft may not be the most common type of identity theft, but it’s no less pressing in a world that’s becoming more digital.