How to Avoid Scams When Riding With Uber

Grabbing an Uber? It’s one of the most popular forms of transport in cities worldwide, but it’s not without issues. Uber’s common issues include fake cleaning fees, inflated journey times, and more, but you can avoid becoming a victim of these Uber scams.

What Are the Most Common Uber Scams?

Several scams can occur when you ride with Uber, from longer trip durations to incorrect payment methods.

1. Your Uber Driver Scams You With Fake Cleaning Fees

You usually won’t pay a cleaning fee when riding with Uber unless you do something obvious, such as dropping greasy food on a seat. However, in rare situations, some ill-intentioned Uber drivers may scam you with a fake cleaning fee.

As reported by Newsweek, in 2023, a woman accused her driver of falsely charging her a $150 cleaning fee. After discovering that the image Uber sent her was from Google Images, she was refunded. Other users have complained about falling victim to this scam on social media platforms like Reddit.

2. Drivers Not Ending the Trip After They Drop You Off

Uber drivers are supposed to end your trip after dropping you off, but some riders have experienced situations where that didn’t happen. As a result, the trip cost much more than it should have.

Sometimes, getting a refund can be very difficult when this kind of scam occurs. So, it’s much better to avoid the problem altogether.

To maximize your experience riding with Uber, you may also be interested in checking out Uber’s different ride options. That way, you can arrive at your destination in total comfort.

3. Your Driver Scams You by Needlessly Increasing the Trip Duration

This type of Uber scam is closely linked to the one we previously mentioned, but the main difference is that the driver deliberately takes a longer route. Instead of going whichever way is the most efficient, your driver might—for example—take you around a city via multiple unnecessary backstreets.

If you need to change your route, the Uber driver should first consult you. The same goes for any taxi ride you take (this scam can impact any taxi-style transport provider).

4. Your Uber Driver Asks You to Pay in Cash When You Didn’t Choose to

Cash is one of the many ways to pay for your Uber ride. However, another scam to look out for is your driver asking you to pay with cash—even when you’ve already picked a different method in the app.

You are not obligated to pay in cash unless you choose that payment method. Similarly, your driver should not try to use tactics like getting aggressive to make you pay.

5. A Different Uber Driver Picks You Up

When you book an Uber ride, the person you see in the app should pick you up. But in some cases, users have experienced problems where a different person is driving the car that arrives.

In these circumstances, you should refuse to get in the car. It’s a potential scam and could also put you in unnecessary danger. You must verify your driver in advance to stay safe, and you can use other methods to improve your safety when riding with Uber.

How to Avoid Scams When Riding With Uber

Now that you know about some of the most common Uber ride scams, let’s examine the steps you can take to avoid them.

1. Check Driver Reviews Before You Confirm Your Booking

When you book a ride with Uber, you can confirm whether you feel comfortable choosing a driver by checking their reviews. It’s a straightforward process.

1. Submit your Uber journey.
2. Look for the driver’s star rating/profile picture and tap on this.
3. Check through the reviews and ensure you’re happy with your chosen driver.

If you’re happy with your driver, you don’t need to do anything else. If you aren’t, you can cancel the ride.

2. Use Uber’s Trip Verification Feature

Uber has a tool that lets you verify your trip to ensure the right driver is picking you up. Once you’ve activated it, you can enter a PIN code to confirm that you’re getting into the right car. You can activate this feature in your settings:

1. Open the Uber app and go to Account > Settings.
2. Scroll down to Safety and select Verify your trip.
3. Switch the toggle next to Use PIN to verify trips on.
4. If you want to enable PIN for night rides only, toggle Night-time only on too. After you’ve made your preferred decision, select Done.

When your Uber ride arrives, verify with the driver that it’s intended for you by asking, “Is this for [your name]?”

If you get scammed on Uber or elsewhere, you should follow these steps after falling victim to an online scam.

3. Choose the Right Payment Method

To ensure that you only pay what you’re supposed to, you must pick the right payment method when riding with Uber. You can pick how you want to pay each time you confirm a ride:

1. Book a ride with Uber by entering your destination and confirming your current location.
2. On the next page, choose how you want to pay. If you need to add a card, you can do so by selecting the Add payment method.
3. Continue through the on-screen instructions and wait for your driver to arrive.

4. Report Scams as Soon as Possible

Following these tips should drastically reduce the danger of falling victim to scams when riding with Uber. But in some cases, you could still be unfortunate enough to meet the wrong driver.

If you get scammed, you must report them as soon as possible. Doing so will protect other riders and ensure that Uber can do something about the offending driver. Here’s how to report scams and other issues:

1. Open the Uber app and go to Activity before selecting the ride you want to report.
2. Scroll down to help and select Report safety issue before following the on-screen instructions and reporting what happened. It’s a good idea to provide evidence where possible.

While most Uber drivers are trustworthy, and you’ll almost never encounter problems, you should still know how to avoid Uber scams!