Deliveryman confronted for possibly working illegally

He is apparently one of many.

A man was confronted on video for working illegally as a food delivery rider in Singapore on Sunday (Oct 29).

Stomp contributor Cheng shared the video of the incident at Block 893C Woodlands Drive 50.

"This foreigner was doing a food delivery job in Singapore illegally," said the Stomp contributor, who is a GrabFood rider.

The video shows a young man in a motorcycle helmet and grey hoodie holding a phone and a plastic bag with two containers of food in a lift.

The unseen person taking the video can be heard asking him: "How come you're using the Malaysian vehicle to do the delivery job?"

The video taker added that the recording had started and said: "You're illegal, you know? Show me your account."

After saying no, the man turned away and pulled down the visor of his helmet to hide his face.

The video taker followed the man as he walked out of the lift to drop off the food outside a flat. The man took a photo of the unit number before walking back to the lift.

The video then cuts to a parked motorcycle with a Malaysian number plate. The man got on the bike and rode off as the video taker repeated: "Show me your account."

This is not the first time Stomp has reported such confrontations caught on video.

In March, a viral video showed a man crying and pleading for mercy after he was accused of being an illegal food delivery rider.

Only Singapore citizens and permanent residents can legally work as riders for food delivery platforms in Singapore.

Foreigners coming to Singapore to deliver food illegally have been a growing problem since the lifting of Covid travel restrictions.

Another Stomp contributor has also shared photos of motorcycles with foreign plates allegedly being used to make food deliveries.

On Oct 7, three foreigners were fined between $3,800 and $10,000 for working illegally as food delivery riders in Singapore, but they may be just the tip of the iceberg.

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Foreigners who are self-employed without a valid work pass may be liable to a fine not exceeding $20,000, imprisonment for up to two years, or both. Upon conviction, they will be permanently barred from working in Singapore.

Local delivery platform workers who are found to have allowed foreigners to use their accounts may face the same penalties.

The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) said in September it has been engaging the major food delivery platforms to enhance their processes and prevent the misuse of accounts by unauthorised parties. MOM and the platforms have also worked together on educational messages to advise riders against allowing foreigners to use or share their food delivery accounts, which have been disseminated through the platforms' communication channels.

A Grab spokesman previously told Stomp: "Grab has a robust process for registration and verification of delivery-partners and to prevent account sharing.

"For instance, delivery-partners are required to upload their identification details during sign-up. The team will then conduct a series of checks and verifications against the information submitted.

"Accounts will only be approved when applicants satisfy all necessary requirements. We also have a selfie-verification feature within the app that regularly prompts our partners to authenticate their identity before they can be assigned order bookings.

"Delivery-partners who do not fulfil any of the above requirements during the registration and verification process will not be able to do deliveries on our platform.

"Our Code of Conduct for partners is publicly available, which also outlines examples of infringements that can lead to suspension or termination of driver-partner’s accounts with Grab. Our Terms of Service are also publicly available, and clearly states that our partners should not authorise others to use their identity or use status."

ALSO READ: 'They hide the food': Man accuses Malaysians of working illegally as delivery riders in Singapore

This article was first published in Stomp. Permission required for reproduction.