Walmart wants to crack down on users posing as other people.
The popular retail corporation recently announced it is rolling out two identity verification systems for its delivery platform to verify a driver's identity and prevent fraud.
Walmart launched its delivery platform, Spark, in 2018 and has seen significant success during the lockdowns and quarantines caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
A Case Of Fraudulent Identities
Walmart's delivery drivers have a problem. According to a report from Business Insider, they have an issue with the company's Spark delivery platform giving delivery orders to drivers using false identities.
The problem is evidenced by the recent experience of Walmart Spark delivery driver Mike Del Rio. He claims to be sitting in his car for hours without a single delivery while noticing the same handful of drivers receiving and delivering order after order.
He later learned that these drivers assume false identities to get more delivery orders for themselves, giving them more income in turn. Unfortunately, this isn't an isolated case - many Spark drivers across the US noticed this modus operandi in action.
According to the Spark drivers Business Insider spoke to, these fraudulent people used multiple phones and multiple names to get more delivery orders for themselves. These drivers asked to remain anonymous for fear of Walmart's retaliation against them, which may also mean their deactivation as Spark delivery drivers.
HALLANDALE BEACH, FLORIDA - MAY 18: People wearing protective masks walk from a Walmart store on May 18, 2021 in Hallandale Beach, Florida.
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According to a Walmart spokesperson, the company takes any reports of fraudulent activity seriously and has deployed many enhancements to other delivery platforms introduced to help them identify and prevent fraudulent activity. These include process improvements, product, and technical solutions, and confirming the identity of delivery drivers picking up and delivering orders.
To prevent delivery-driver identity fraud, Walmart intends to roll out facial recognition and ID scam systems in September to verify a delivery driver's identity before they take an order.
"We actively monitor and deactivate accounts whenever we become aware of fraud and are continuously rolling out new features and solutions to further prevent this activity," the spokesperson added. "We encourage drivers to report any concerns to Spark Driver platform driver support so we can investigate and take the appropriate action."
Unfortunately, many drivers claim that their reports calling out certain Spark delivery drivers didn't amount to anything. However, the spokesperson said that the company is investigating them and that its team is taking "the appropriate action."
Competiton From The Living And The Bots
Fraudulent delivery drivers aren't the only problem Walmart faces with its crowd-sourced delivery platform. A report from Chicago Tribune revealed that some scammers use bots to hoard orders on the platform, making earning a living difficult for Walmart's Chicago-based delivery drivers.
The alleged scammers even harassed and threatened some Sparks delivery drivers while waiting in the parking lots for orders. The situation reached a point where those that were harassed and harmed banded together outside the Cicero Supercenter to call attention to the issue.
Walmart explained that the use of bots on its delivery platform violates its terms of use; it has been investigating reports of bot usage and has been deactivating drivers who muse the platform since.
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