- Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation
Our Office’s consumer specialists recently received a call from a distraught Uber driver who believed he had been scammed. He explained that he received a phone call from someone claiming to be a representative from the rideshare company and was asked to provide personal information, including his account number and social security number. Unfortunately, he complied.
The next day, he called our office.
Similar phishing scams have been reported before. In some cases the caller claims your account will be deactivated if you don’t reveal your information. In other instances, the caller acts as if they have all of your information and ask you to verify it because you are about to get a bonus for high ratings. Once you give the information they place you on ‘hold’ and process your ‘bonus’ and suddenly your account is drained of whatever was in it.
These are examples of calls, but the same scam can occur through texting.
How to avoid this phishing scam
- Never give out personal information over the phone, by email, or text unless you are certain you are dealing with a legitimate representative from Uber (or any company).
- If you need to provide personal information, contact Uber directly. Uber will give you further details via the Uber app or via email only after you initiate the contact from the app.
- You can also visit a local Uber office if there is one in your city. It may be worth it just to stop in and ask a few questions and report any mysterious emails, phone calls, or text messages so they are aware of scams in their area.
