New Uber Scam in Texas Puts Ride Share Drivers at Risk

Money is tight for a lot of people in Texas recently, which has pushed people to pick up extra work to bring in more cash. I had a friend who was driving for Uber recently in Tyler, Texas, and ended up being scammed. I got permission to share the details to make sure no one else becomes a victim.

My friend was driving like normal, and she accepted a ride in a ‘fancy’ neighborhood, although this scam could take place on any ride. When she arrived at the destination that was assigned through the app, there was no house with that address. She then received a fake call from someone claiming to be Uber Support.

A New Uber Scam Reported in Texas

The scammer told my friend that her Uber account was suspended due to a false report that she had been driving under the influence.

The caller said that the lock would stay until the investigation was over, but they would reimburse her $200 for her time, because her driving record was great, and they didn’t believe the report of drinking and driving.

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The scammer claimed they would pay $200 for her downtime during the investigation, but needed her Uber Pro card number to deposit the money. Ugh, she trusted the call and gave the card number to the scammers.

Shortly after that, there was $227 frequently withdrawn from her account. The scammers attempted to charge her credit card, but that was denied. Then the scammers told her to go to an ATM and withdraw $500 and redeposit it. That is when she realized the whole thing was a scam.

She has since contacted her bank, blocked the credit card transaction attempt, the charge to her Uber account is still pending. Be careful, never give information to anyone over the phone, just assume most are scammers.