ORLANDO, Fla. – Many people drive for ride-share companies to earn extra cash.
But a News 6 investigation uncovered a scheme targeting some drivers and stealing their money.
Brian Lapersonerie, a 45-year-old single dad who works three jobs including driving for Uber, shared his experience to warn others.
“I just work it part-time,” Lapersonerie said. “People are being scammed of their hard-earned money.”
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He explained how having his money stolen took a toll.
“Money that’s helping me pay bills and helping me keep up with child support,” he said.
Lapersonerie was picking up a rider when he got a call from someone claiming to be Uber support saying he was under investigation for alleged drinking on the job.
“I’m confused and in shock,” Lapersonerie said. “They were going to look into the actual rider’s account who made the report and see if there were any similar reports that looked fraudulent.”
After about half an hour of questioning, the caller told him the claim was false and offered to credit his account for his time off the road.
The caller had him open his Uber wallet and directed him to enter what appeared to be a gift card number.
But instead of a credit, they drained his account of $489.80.
“I see a zero balance. Now I’m in shock, total shock, like, oh my god, what just happened?” Lapersonerie said.
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He immediately reported the incident to Uber and filed a claim to have his money reimbursed.
But it was denied because there was “no indication of account takeover.”
“It was a very, very sophisticated, social engineered scam,” Lapersonerie said.
He has since learned from Uber and Lyft Facebook groups that similar schemes have happened to other drivers.
News 6 reached out to Uber asking if it had advice for drivers to protect themselves and if it warns drivers about these schemes.
A spokesperson responded via email: “As scammers continue evolving their tactics to lure in innocent people, we urge drivers to use caution. Uber routinely sends reminders to never share personal account information, such as passwords or verification codes, with anyone and we will never ask you for this information.”
Remember don’t fall for the scheme, don’t get ripped off but if you do, email me at LBolden@wkmg.com.
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