JV

JV files bill to safeguard delivery riders from pranks, scams

September 5, 2022 PS Jun M. Sarmiento 317 views

SENATOR Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito warned scammers of delivery riders that their days will soon be over after he filed a bill seeking to protect individuals involved in food, grocery, and pharmacy delivery services.

In a press conference Monday, Sept. 5, Sen. Ejercito expressed optimism that the passage of Senate Bill (SB) no. 1234 would help safeguard delivery riders and ensure “worker protection”.

“Incidentally, I filed a bill that will protect online sellers, delivery courier riders from pranksters and scams. Because of the booming online business, we’ve seen the rise of online pranksters victimizing our delivery riders,” Ejercito said.

According to the senator, these delivery riders and motorcycle couriers riders are the “unsung heroes” of the pandemic who risked their lives at the height of the COVID-19 lockdown and quarantine.

“Naging napakalaking tulong nila sa atin. Their services became more valuable than ever at masakit na ginagawang prank ng iba ang kanilang tulong na ginagawa para sa nakakarami. We have to stop this kind of scams,” Ejercito said.

With movement heavily restricted during the pandemic, many people, specifically those with comorbidity who could not leave their homes, relied solely on these delivery riders to get access to food, medicines, conduct their business, and many more in order to make life easier for everyone, Ejercito pointed out.

Many scams are designed to prey upon the hapless riders who have to cover the cost of these purchases upfront. Ideally, they are reimbursed for this upon delivery.

Unfortunately, that doesn’t always happen because some scammers are playing with these riders who just want to earn their living, the senator pointed out.

Based on recent studies, the most common of these scams victimizing riders is the “prank booking”, wherein a customer orders a large amount of food but has no genuine intention of paying for it. Worse still, the rider is sent to a different address either to prank the person living there or to misdirect the rider from the residence of the person who ordered the food.

Several instances where these pranksters are even “filming” the hapless riders arriving at the given address with no one to receive the items.

“Hindi po ito nakakatuwa at lalong hindi nakakatawa,” Ejercito stressed.