Not so long ago, a person from Delhi was scammed by his Uber driver. He was forced to pay more than the original fare on his way home by showing him a fake screenshot of the Uber payment window. The incident first surfaced on Reddit, and Redditors took notice of the incident and escalated it quickly. Seeing this, other victims of such scams started sharing their encounters. The issue got heated, and then the transportation Giant broke the silence and urged the people to take precautions the next time they booked a ride with Uber. In this read, we will make sure you are not scammed next time you are booking a ride with Uber.
How To Identify Uber Scam
Identifying a digital scam can be a bit tricky, but with the latest tools at their disposal, scams can actually look very believable. You must keep in mind nowadays digital screenshots can be modified or produced for such scams. Some scammers can design it in such a way that is beneficial to them the most. It is important to note that if you are in a hurry, you are more likely to not check the details or the fare at the end of your journey. And this habit of most of us is to not check the fare in our Uber Mobile App, which benefits the Scammers. Follow the steps below to make sure you are not the next victim.
1. Make sure the details provided in the Uber App are the same Check the Vehicle Driving Plates and also verify the driver is the same person mentioned in the App.
2. Be sure to check if the Driver has initiated the ride with the OTP provided by you. Also, make sure once you have reached the destination trip has ended from the Driver’s end. You can verify both of these pointers using your Uber mobile app.
3. You can check the Fare of your previous rides by clicking on the Activity option on the bottom of your screen and then accessing any old ride.
3. Once you have ended your trip make sure the fare which is shown on the driver’s app is the same as the fare shown on your mobile app.
Note – If any of these checks are red-marked. Then there is a high possibility that you are going to get scammed. Make sure you are always checking these three vital points when you are booking Uber next time.
What Should You Do In Case of Scam?
If anyhow you get scammed and you are worried as to what you can do? We have got your back you need to keep a calm mind and make sure you are not in any physical danger. Once you are in a safe place you can take the steps discussed below, to make sure you report the person who scammed you. This will help others out there, which is a good thing. Also, this can help you get some of your money back. With the right evidence, you can also go for legal action against the said Scammer.
1. If you are scammed into paying more amount than what is showing on your Uber Mobile App. Then firstly take a screenshot of the amount that is showing in the Uber mobile app.
2. You also need to make sure that you take a screenshot of the payment that you made to the Uber Driver.
3. If it is possible, try to record the conversation in either audio or video format which can be submitted as evidence later on.
4. Report the scam to Uber using Uber support. For a quick response, you can also report the same using Social Media such as ‘X'(Formerly Known as Twitter).
5. This is a long stretch but if you can take a screenshot of the Scammers screen showing the inflated price. This can be very helpful when you are reporting the scammer. Mostly scammers will not let you take a screenshot that easily.
(The image is from the news about Uber Scam)
How to Report and Get back the Paid Amount
You can report your scam either by using the Uber help support. You can also file a legal complaint at your nearest police station if you have the full details of the scammer. Reporting is a very crucial process because if we let go of the scammer reporting the scammer is a few extra steps. He will scam more people and this will never stop. Reporting is fairly easy you can follow the below-discussed steps.
1. Immediately after the scam you need to access Uber help Support from the mobile app.
2. Connect with an agent there and share all the details that you have of the incident.
3. Screenshots of the payment window in the Uber app should also be shared.
4. Once they have verified everything Uber mostly initiate a refund of the inflated amount which gets credited to your original payment method or Uber Cash.
Note – Scams where a lot of Uber Drivers share a fake screenshot showing a more inflated price than the original price has become a recurring problem. So much so that Uber has officially asked everyone to be sure and to only pay the amount that is being shown in the Uber Mobile app nothing more than that. Uber also shared that you can always reach out to them regarding any Scam related query and they will be happy to help you. This is brave of a company to come forth and accept the grey areas and also admit that they will be taking steps to prevent such ongoing scams.
FAQs
Q. What Is the Best Way to Identify if the Uber Driver Is Legit Not Some Scammer?
You can verify the credibility of the driver through the vehicle number and also by the image of the Driver provided in the mobile app, also make sure the rating for the Driver should at least be above 3.5.
Q. How Can We Report Scammers in Uber?
You can use Uber Help Support in the Uber mobile app, we have attached a detailed guide as to how you can report the scammer to the right authorities in the article above.
Q. How To Avoid Scams on Apps Like Uber?
Always check the details from your Uber Mobile App, be aware of your surroundings also make sure you track from your mobile app if the driver is taking you down the right way or if is he taking a long way just to jack up the price.
Wrapping Up
Digital scams are growing at an exponential rate. We need to adapt to such scams so that we can take preventive measures. Scams like this are not very easy to understand and identify. In the article we have discussed many ways you can identify the said scam. In this article, you can find ways how to report scams to the proper authority. We have curated this article to specifically spread awareness about such digital scams. For more such reads, stay tuned to GadgetsToUse and check out the following reads below.
- 3 Ways to Report WhatsApp International Scam Calls
- 4 Ways to Report Scam Websites and Ads in Google Search Results
- 9 Best Ways to Spot Fake Ads, Scams on Instagram
- 5 Ways to Identify A Fake QR Code to Avoid Scams and Frauds
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