An Ohio Uber driver warns others about a potential scam that one passenger may have tried on him near Cleveland.
In a video with over 13,000 views, TikToker Liberal Nurse in Ohio (@liberalnurseinohio) says he picked up a passenger for a 16-mile trip. The app lists his total earnings for the drive as $43.15, as his car is listed as a luxury car.
“He says he just got out of prison six months ago. He did eight years,” the TikToker says, noting that the man told him he was convicted of selling drugs. “He’s like, ‘I can hook you up.’”
The TikToker turns down the passenger’s offer, explaining that he is a nurse.
“The name before I picked him up said, ‘Jessica.’ So I knew something was different when it was a guy,” he says. However, he notes that it “happens a lot.”
He says the passenger continued to offer him drugs, despite turning them down several times.
The creator drops off the first passenger and accepts another ride a short distance away. As he drives away, he gives the passenger a one-star rating, selecting “conversation” as the reason.
Uber and Lyft allow passengers and drivers to rate each other both ways. A low passenger rating may result in account deactivation if many drivers flag inappropriate behavior from riders.
How did the passenger try to ‘scam‘ the Uber driver?
“Just as I get to a stop with the next [passenger], I get a phone call,” the TikToker says. “It’s the individual saying that they work for Uber and that somebody gave me a bad review.”
The person on the phone asks him to confirm his license plate and phone number.
“That right there tipped me off. Because why would Uber need to make sure I have the right number?” he says. “But I went along with the game anyhow.”
The person on the phone then instructed him to put the ride down as an “accidental pick-up.”
“That told me it was a scam. Uber would have ended the ride,” he explains. The man promises that the TikToker would also receive a “$25 inconvenience fee” and a “$400 promotion.”
“Yeah, Uber doesn’t do that,” he says. “He says, ‘But don’t cash out until I get a hold of you on Friday. If you have $500 in your account, you’ll get an extra $100.’”
He tells the man that he does not have an Uber Blue card, which lets drivers cash out after every trip, even though he does.
After hanging up, the TikToker reaches out to Uber but laments that he had a difficult time getting in touch with a representative.
“I gave all that information to Uber. I uploaded a screenshot of the phone number that the guy called me from, not the Uber app number that comes through,” he says. However, a representative eventually tells him that Uber will look into it.
How did viewers react to his PSA?
Other Uber drivers say they’ve experienced similar situations with passengers.
“I drive in the Cleveland area too! crap like this is part of the reason I stick to food deliveries now, dealing with so many people just isn’t worth the hassle to me,” one writes.
“The same thing happened to me. It wasn’t the passenger that you just dropped off. It was your passenger that you were going to pick up. It was the four dollar ride that’s why they had all your information in the car make the license number everything,” another suggests.
@liberalnurseinohio #uber #scam #lyftdriver #doordash #fyp #viral #scammer ♬ original sound – Liberal Nurse In Ohio
“Thank you you are saving the community,” a third adds.
The Mary Sue reached out to Uber and Liberal Nurse in Ohio for further comment.
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