On the Clock is Motherboard's reporting on the organized labor movement, gig work, automation, and the future of work.
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On March 29, a Shipt personal shopper and veteran in Portland, Maine, received two voicemails from numbers that looked like they were from Shipt's corporate headquarters. (Motherboard granted the worker anonymity because he feared retaliation from Shipt)."I received a call from you and it looks like we got disconnected," the first voicemail from Shipt's corporate phone number said, addressing the worker by his first name. "If you could give us a call back whenever you can, I'd be more than happy to help you." Throughout the day he received a series of calls, texts, and emails that appeared to be coming from Shipt. Finally, the gig worker picked up the phone. An agent informed him that there'd been unusual activity on his Shipt account and asked him for his password to go in and recover his account. "He said 'you might not be able to access your account so we can change your password for you,'" the gig worker told Motherboard. "I said 'it’d be better if you can send me an email with a link.' He was like 'if you want I can change your password for you.' I said 'I’m not comfortable with that.'”"I’m not gullible at all but this was sophisticated," the worker said. "They spoofed that number. I’m a vet and the first thing they do when they call is verify who I am and they ask me for my information, so this is creepy and scary." Caller ID spoofing, the tactic being used by the scammers, is legal in the United States with the exception of doing so "with the intent to defraud, cause harm, or wrongfully obtain anything of value."
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Gig workers, including Johnson Dorsey, who've been targeted by phishing attempts say Shipt has not done enough to educate and warn their workforce about these phishing scams. "If it wasn't for shoppers telling each other about these scams, none of us would know what's going on," said Johnson Dorsey. "Shipt sends us so many emails but they haven't warned us or told us anything about these scams by email."Schumann, the spokesperson from Shipt, said, "We take data security very seriously and have taken, and will continue to take, several actions to inform and educate the Shipt team, as well as Shipt Shoppers, on how to keep accounts secure."
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Scammers also appear to be targeting customer accounts. Heidi Hudd, a customer in Traverse City, Michigan, received an email late one night in April saying she had placed an order for a pair of airpods. She logged into her account to see her address had also been changed to Plantation, Florida. "I called Shipt and they didn't seem surprised and told me they'd fix it. I'm worried there was a data breach," Hudd said. "They didn't tell me what had happened—just to change my password and that was it."Joseph Cox contributed reporting for this article.Do you have a tip to share about a scam targeting gig workers? Please get in touch with the reporter Lauren by emailing Lauren.gurley@vice.com or by messaging securely on Signal 201-897-2109.