New Delhi: Acclaimed Car and Bike rental service company Uber has recently revealed that they received several complaints from customers of the drivers presenting fake screens to the customers. The fake screen scam of Uber is a deceptive tactic where some drivers try and trick the passengers into paying more than the actual fare.
A fake screen is a duplicated screen which looks very similar to the actual Uber App created to extort excess fare from riders. Uber has now asked its users to follow some tips to avoid falling prey to the Fake screen scam. Firstly we should match the driver and vehicle details, like the name and number of the vehicle and the driver. Secondly, we should always check ‘trip verified’ after sharing the four-digit PIN with the driver.
Next, we should always ask the driver to end the trip as soon as we reach our destination. Pay the driver the amount which pops up after the ride ends or the amount shown on your app amount to pay. If the fare shown by the driver is more than upfront fare shown to you then ask the driver to refresh the app. We should refresh out Uber app to view the amount due for the payment.
If repeatedly we are being asked by the driver to pay extra, we should ensure to retain all the necessary documents, including screenshots of the fare screen shown by the driver and the payment recipets. The driver can be reported through the help section in the app which will allow Uber to take necessary action against the driver. For further queries reach out to Uber support and explain the problem.
In March this year, a man from Delhi had claimed that he was scammed by an Uber driver after he took a ride from Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport. In a lengthy post on Reddit, the man recounted the distressing experience and narrated what happened when he booked an Uber from the IGI airport to his home in the national capital on March 24. The Reddit user claimed that upon completion of the trip, the Uber driver presented a fake screenshot and charged double the fare.
The user on Reddit wrote “So I booked a ride from Delhi’s IGI airport to my home on the 24th night around 10:30. The app displayed around. ₹340 for an Uber Go so I booked that. When I reached my destination, the driver asked me ₹648”.
Since the man was charged almost doyble he insisted the driver to see the screen displaying the confirmation payment. The driver showed the man the screenshot where the fare was indeed Rs 648 and attributed increased amount to extra waiting charges. The customer was suspicious , he decided not to argue late at night and agreed to pay the amount. But before leaving he took the picture of the driver’s phone screen showing payment details.
The next day, he analysed the picture and found mistakes like wrong name spelling and two Uber App icons. When he visited the app, it showed that the Uber driver only collected ₹127.48 from him for the ride. The man then contacted Uber customer care and received a partial refund, confirming his suspicions of being tricked.
”So the reason for this post was to keep you guys aware that ONLY PAY THE AMOUNT SHOWN ON YOUR APP don’t even pay a single rupee extra (except tip, that’s generous) The driver supposedly used a spoof app to show the wrong payment information, I guess he was not in his senses and typed the wrong name, he even talked so much while travelling to distract us into thinking he was a good person,” he wrote and also added a few screenshots.
Many users shared similar experiences saying that they too have been a victim of ‘fake screenshot scam’ where drivers use fake apps to overcharge. One user wrote , ”The same thing happened to me once when I was returning from IGI airport. My colleague had booked the cab, and he got off early, and mine was the last stop. The driver showed me the same kind of screen as you. I told my friend about the same and asked him to file a complaint.’
Other user said “Ahhh I get it, that way they could easily scam people with fake screens, we people really need to be aware of this scam and always wiggle around the screen to check the authenticity.’
A third user commented, ”Quite unfortunate. That’s the reason I use ONLY the online payment method(UPI). I get the pop-up; there is no need to pay immediately; I can do it even days later or till I need to book another cab.”
A fourth wrote, ”Uber drivers generally inside Delhi is fine but the Uber driver outside IGI Airport is scamming a lot of people including tourists, they show fake payment screenshots and when questioned they say it’s parking charges.”
Yet another added, ”Thanks for sharing this, bro. I will be looking for things like these. Appreciate your effort to spread awareness about these scams.”
