Norwegian police have expelled four food delivery couriers after one made 222 deliveries in just four to five days using a borrowed account. The case began in early January when a man was stopped for driving the wrong way down a street in Oslo's Grønland district while delivering for Wolt.
A routine traffic stop by a police patrol led to checks on the driver's right to work. The man, from a North African country, held a Romanian residence permit allowing him to travel to Norway but not to work there. He has now been forcibly returned. Further investigations revealed three more individuals in the same situation, all from the same North African country, all with Romanian permits but no Norwegian work rights.
A Pattern of Borrowed Accounts
Police believe all four were working for Wolt by using other people's accounts. Two were caught in the same car, working for the same account. Rune Solberg Swahn, head of the immigration unit in the Oslo Police District, described it as a North African driving team working for others to make money. The man initially stopped had completed 222 food deliveries on the Wolt account he was using in under a week.
All four individuals have been expelled from Norway. One has been forcibly returned, while the others had to leave the country in January. Police have received photo evidence confirming they are back in Romania. Three of the four also received a two-year entry ban to Norway. In a statement, Wolt said they were grateful the couriers had been expelled, emphasizing cooperation with authorities.
An Increasing Trend for Police
Swahn states police are seeing an increase in food couriers working illegally. This case echoes a pattern reported last year, where police suspected organized criminal "import" of couriers to Oslo. At that time, there were suspicions of wage theft and potential human trafficking. A Romanian man, interviewed previously, said he was brought to Norway by backers in his home country and worked 15-hour days as a courier.
Now, half a year later, police observe a similar development but with a shift in demographics. Those being brought in are often immigrants from countries outside the EU, rather than Romanians. The typical method involves someone with the right to work in Norway, such as an EEA citizen, lending or selling their Wolt or Foodora account to another person.
How the Illegal Scheme Operates
Swahn explained the model: a Romanian citizen who can work legally in Norway opens an account, then sells or lends that account to a citizen from North Africa, for example. This allows the person without work rights to take deliveries. The account holder, who is legally present, takes a cut of the earnings. This creates a shadow system within the platform economy, exploiting both immigration rules and gig work structures.
The platforms operate on a model where couriers are independent contractors, not employees. This makes verifying the identity and work status of the person actually making the delivery more complex. While companies have verification processes, this case shows how they can be circumvented. The high volume of deliveries—222 in a few days—highlights the intense, around-the-clock work these illegal couriers are performing.
The Human Cost and Legal Framework
Behind the police statistics are individuals living and working without legal protection. Previous reports have suggested couriers in such arrangements can be vulnerable to exploitation, working extremely long hours for uncertain pay after the account holder takes their share. They also lack access to the health, safety, and insurance protections that come with legal employment.
Norwegian law is clear: a residence permit from another EU/EEA country does not grant the right to work in Norway. The right to work must be obtained separately from Norwegian authorities. The two-year entry ban for three of the couriers serves as a significant deterrent, complicating any future legal travel to the Schengen area.