Argyle is paying workers to help hack payroll providers, researchers suspect.
Fintech startup Argyle, a financial-services platform aimed at gig workers, is working to replace credit scores assigned by bureaus like Equifax. But closer security analysis hints that Argyle could be just the latest incarnation of an ongoing data-collection campaign, paying people to give up their payroll login credentials on a massive scale, researchers said.
Argyle is marketed as a way for the growing numbers of gig workers (such as those that drive for companies like Uber, DoorDash or Instacart) to consolidate income data across several employers so they can more easily apply for credit. Argyle compiles data on those workers and provides an application program interface (API) to lenders that allows them to assess the creditworthiness of freelance workers.
May 10, 2021
How much is your payroll data worth? Probably a lot more than you think. One financial startup that’s targeting the gig worker market is offering up to $500 to anyone willing to hand over the payroll account username and password given to them by their employer, plus a regular payment for each month afterwards in which those credentials still work.
This ad, from workplaceunited[.]com, promised up to $500 for people who provided their payroll passwords, plus $25 a month for each month those credentials kept working.
New York-based
Argyle.com says it’s building a platform where people who work multiple jobs and/or side hustles can improve their credit and employment options by pooling all of their gig work data in one place.