An Uber driver is speaking up after he says scammers tried to gain access to his account, presumably to steal his earnings.
Kevin drives three nights a week as an to make extra cash for his family.
“It could be $300, $400, $500 depending on how much effort I put in that week," Kevin said.
He doesn’t want his last name revealed, but says Monday night things got weird after he dropped a rider off at Circus Circus.
"I was just about to send off my text to let them know I was there and what to look for and got a call almost instantly," Kevin said. "They said they were an Uber representative and gave me a Z- blah, blah, blah number."
He said the caller told him to cancel the ride.
"They said, well it is a scam, so I need you to give me your email address so I can send you a link. So we can change your password on your account," Kevin said.
At that point he started getting suspicious asking, "How do I know you are not trying to scam me?"
He said they offered up a bunch of his information.
"I know your rating is this, I know your name is Kevin this, I know what vehicle your driving, know your license plate is this," Kevin said.
Kevin knew they were only giving the basic information available to anyone he accepted a ride offer from.
"He said if your don't cooperate, which was a odd word right out of the gate, we are going to cancel your account for the evening. And I just laughed, almost hysterically, and I said okay, bye," Kevin said.
At that point he called Uber, figuring the scammers wanted to redirect his pay and tips into their bank accounts.
13 Action News reached out to the company, Uber acknowledged seeing a similar scam in recent months and said scammers are being force to get more creative.
The spokesperson pointed out the company uses two-factor identification to protect drivers.
They also pointed us to an article that included the following tips to help driver’s keep their accounts safe.
“It’s also important for drivers to know what they can do to protect themselves. Here are some recommended tips:
- Do not share your personal information (phone number, email address, password, SSN, credit card, or two-factor verification code) with anyone over the phone or text message. Uber will never call to ask for this information.
- Never enter your Uber account information on websites other than uber.com.
- Only use your Uber verification codes in the Driver/Rider App or on uber.com.
- When in doubt, visit a Greenlight Hub or contact Uber’s support team in the app before sharing any information.
Uber also said it reimburses drivers impacted and works to get websites associated with phishing scams shut down.
