Sometimes I am still surprised by the stupidity of my fellow drivers. This one is perhaps up there at the top with the 10 daftest scams. After all, which idiot steals a rider's cell phone and tips himself with it?
It seems that an Uber driver by the name of Ashraf decided to become the latest top 10 editors of all time when he decided to steal his riders cell phone and use it to increase his income my a few hundred bucks. Basically, destroying a career with Uber and possible facing criminal charges too, and all for a tip.
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The place: Tampa, Fl.
The rider: Jennifer Davis
Davis requests a ride at 2 am together with her boyfriend, and they were picked up outside a comedy show in Ybor City. After arriving home safely, Davis woke up the next day to discover she lost her cell phone. She used her boyfriend's app to connect with the driver, and he stated that the phone as left in his backseat and that he would return it in later that day.
The driver never turned up, and although Davis left a few messages, she never got through to him. Eventually, the driver's phone was disconnected. Davis logged onto her e-mail account later that day and found that the driver had used her phone like this:
- He logged into her Uber account and tipped himself $76
- He changed the mileage of the trip so that a $38 ride became a $204 ride.
- He used Davis' phone and his to create a false dialog, where he gave himself 5 stars but filed a complaint with Uber on his phone against Davis, stating that she had made him uncomfortable by making gestures during the ride. He then used Davis phone to send a response to the complaint.
Davis called Uber a few times, but all they did was refund her part of the fare and then charge her back again. After a few calls the Uber rep told Davis to file an official complaint with her local law enforcement agency. So, Davis went to the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office and filed a complaint.
Davis also called Better Call Behnken, a support service that provides assistance to people who have been cheated. Better Call Behnken called Uber, to which Uber's reply was "The reported conduct is completely unacceptable. The driver's access to the app has been removed." Uber also reimbursed Davis for the whole amount and sent her a bonus $100 gift card.
The driver, Ashraf, is facing criminal charges according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office after the driver admitted to using Davis' phone to steal from her.