A Melbourne woman has warned Uber passengers of a new scam being carried out by unscrupulous drivers.
In a TikTok video titled “Scary Uber experience: Beware of creepy Uber drivers“, beauty writer Gemma Dimond recounted an uncomfortable experience she found herself in last weekend.
“I was out this evening in Melbourne, I’d booked an Uber home, and as I got into the Uber I guess the driver cancelled the trip,” she began.
“He’s like ‘oh, looks like the app is glitching, can you just give me your address and I’ll just put it into my maps and work out how much it would have been, in a separate app to calculate the price, and you just transfer me the money’.
“I just told a fib on the spot and said ‘it’s a work account so it needs to be on that card so can you just pull over’ and I got out.”
Ms Dimond said she had reported the incident to Uber, but was sharing the story as a PSA to other passengers.
@gemdimond Bit scary PLEASE BE SAFE #uberscam #vicnews ♬ original sound – Gemma Dimond
Her video now has hundreds of comments, with many complaining of dodgy drivers and bad experiences in rideshare cars and taxis.
“Oh my God I hope you are OK, and well handled. I don’t want to say the ethnic background but I’ve had that happen a bit lately with Didi,” said one woman.
“I had an Uber driver try this on me in Melbourne airport during the Uber strike they were having. Wild times, honestly just catch a taxi if you’re not going far,” said another.
Others complained about now-frequent third-world behaviour at Australian airports, where passengers are routinely ripped off, or harassed by illegal touts.
“My husband and I have been at Melbourne airport Uber pick up area and been harassed by multiple drivers who claim to be Uber but come up to you and ask ‘where you going? I’ll drive you now, cheaper let’s go’,” a TikTok user said.
“A couple months ago I was waiting for an Uber and a random man came up and offered me a ride saying he was on a break from Uber but would give me a cheap ride. I was terrified and he wouldn’t leave,” another upset woman said.
Uber drivers recently went on strike in Melbourne earlier this month after the rideshare giant lowered prices nationwide.
And in Sydney some taxi drivers are planning to refuse fares from the international airport in protest over a rule change allowing Ubers to make kerbside pick-ups.
Uber driver strike at Melbourne Airport: pic.twitter.com/qL0L1RfNrK
— Clown Down Under 🤡 (@clowndownunder) August 27, 2024
