Dangerous Applications

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Many people are using smartphone apps that help them find helpers for moving heavy furniture or performing other tasks that are hard to do alone. One of such helpers turned out to be a sex offender wearing an electronic tag. He even attempted for sexually assault his customer. Here's more.

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Back in June, this lady requested the service of a helper using a smartphone app in order to move heavy furniture in her house. The 45-year-old man who claimed to be a helper, all of a sudden took out a weapon and attempted to rape her. He even threatened to harm her son, who was asleep in another room, if she kept resisting.

[Soundbite] (Victim(Voice Modified)) : "I grasped his hand that was holding the weapon. He used his other hand to touch me."

The perpetrator fled the scene when he saw a security guard, but he was caught by police shortly. The man had served 15 years in jail for sex crimes and was wearing an electronic tag. His personal information was even posted on the Internet. However, he had no trouble registering as a helper. The company running the app said it has no way of checking each helper's criminal record due to privacy protection policies.

[Soundbite] (Staff from Helper App Company(Voice Modified)) : "We received criminal record certificates at first, but police told us not to do that because of privacy infringement."

Under the current law, sex offenders are banned from working at facilities for the underaged for up to ten years after being released from prison. However, there are no laws in place prohibiting ex-convicts from working as helpers or delivery workers.