SINGAPORE — A local vigilante has taken it upon himself to expose alleged illegal food delivery riders in Singapore, stating that these riders are “stealing jobs from Singaporeans who want to provide for their families.”
Earlier this month, a video recorded by a local delivery rider went viral on social media. In that video, the rider accused another delivery worker of working illegally and berated him loudly on the street.
The rider demanded to see the other person’s delivery platform application account, took a picture of his name, and checked the rider’s delivery receipt, threatening to call the police if the latter tried to cancel the record.
The person being scolded, a male in a blue T-shirt, was seen crying and begging with folded hands while the rider recorded the video.
The video received mixed reactions from netizens, with many feeling that the rider’s behaviour was over the top and that he should not have humiliated the other worker in such a way.
However, the vigilante did not stop there. Recently, the rider shared other videos with online media Stomp, in which he confronted other suspected illegal food delivery riders.
The rider, named Teh, told the media that if he appeared rude and overbearing in the videos, he had his reasons.
“I started my own business, but I still do deliveries and cannot just sit on the sidelines. They are stealing jobs from Singaporeans who want to provide for their family.”
Stomp also noted that Teh was the one who reported to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) four years ago regarding a case of Malaysians working illegally as food delivery riders in Singapore.
The Malaysians used spare accounts of local food delivery riders registered with more than one company. This led to the MOM arresting two Malaysians later.
Information on the Ministry of Manpower(MOM)’s website notes that it is illegal for foreigners to deliver food via local delivery platforms.
Under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act, they can be fined a maximum of $20,000, or subjected to imprisonment of up to two years, or both.
A spokesperson from MOM said that the ministry is investigating the issue of illegal delivery riders, and added that foreigners found guilty may also be barred from working in Singapore.
“We are also investigating whether delivery workers have allowed their accounts with delivery services companies to be used by unauthorised parties, and hence liable for an abetment offence.”
“MOM has also contacted the delivery platform companies to ask what they are doing to prevent the misuse of accounts of legitimate delivery workers by unauthorised parties and ensure the effectiveness of these measures.”
Deliveroo stated that they require all riders to be either a Singapore citizen or a permanent resident, and as measures in place to identify fraudulent behaviour and is exploring additional ways to verify a rider’s identity and right to work, including facial verification checks.
Foodpanda requires its platform partners to complete a selfie verification before the start of each shift to prevent identity fraud and protect their accounts. Failing to do so may result in account suspension and potential blacklisting.
