Sitting In The Sauna In Roseville, CA.
I was sitting in the sauna at my health club recently and I got an email and notification from Uber that “they would honor my request to change my account, but first, I needed to provide more detailed information to verify that I requested the changes.”
This email was the first in a long series of emails from Uber, indicating that my phone number and email had been changed and that I had also signed up for Uber One and purchased a Popeyes chicken meal.
Fortunately, I had no money in my Uber wallet, or else it would have been gone first thing. In this article, I will share what happened and what you can do if a scam like this happens to your account.
Background
Back in 2017, someone tried to scam my Uber driver account. I was driving for Uber one sunny morning in San Francisco when I got a call from someone who claimed to be from Uber. He said I had done a great job, and Uber wanted to give me a bonus.
First, I had to identify myself, which I did. Then the man told me I would get a text message and needed to click on Approve. When I did get the text, I saw that I was approving a change to a different bank account.
At this point, I realized I was getting scammed, and I hung up. After getting three follow-up calls, which I did not answer, the scammer gave up.
This has always been the typical ‘driver scam’ that we’ve covered extensively, where a passenger requests a ride and then calls you pretending to be Uber. If you’ve been following us for any decent amount of time, you know to avoid this one!
However, in this latest scam, I didn’t do anything! Somehow, the scammer got into my account without my approval or participation. This should be alarming to drivers and Uber, so let’s talk about what happened!
Timeline
First Email
After receiving the first email from Uber, I thought, “OK, someone may be trying to access my account.” However, I assumed I was safe since I had not provided any confirmation data.
Maybe, I perused, this is a scam in which some drivers may provide the information without looking at the contents of the email, but not me. I thought I was safe since I had the prior experience in 2017 in which my participation was necessary.
I also checked the domain of the e-mail to confirm it was, in fact, from Uber.
I went back and looked at previous Uber support emails I had received from Uber and the domain was the same. Therefore, I knew these emails were legitimate.
Many Emails
Before I knew it, I had over ten emails from Uber. WTF! My experience was a full-on attack on my Uber account. There were multiple requests to change my email and phone number. The scammer made these requests through Uber Driver, Uber Rider, and Uber Eats. Someone was working very hard to get into my account.
However, I was OK since I had not replied with confirmation data. Little did I know, or even realize, that a scammer could talk someone from Uber Support into making the changes without my approval.
New Email and Phone Number
Next, I received an email informing me that somebody changed my email address and phone number. “What!!!” How was this possible?
Now, a panic set in. I texted Harry, while this was happening to see if he had heard of this scam. I left my health club, sat in my car, and notified Uber that I did not authorize these changes.
First Phone Contact With Uber Support
I then drove home and called Uber Support asap. The man asked me for my phone number. He did not find it. He then asked for my email address. He did not find it. I explained that this is precisely the problem.
I was hacked, and someone at Uber made these changes without authorization. Then he asked for my driver’s license number. That worked. That is something the scammer did not have and did not try to change (it probably isn’t possible to change this for obvious reasons).
I also had to provide the last four digits of my bank account for deposits. We then proceeded to change my email and phone number back to the originals. I thought this would be it. I was wrong.
An Uber Eats Order For Popeyes Chicken
Next, I received an email telling me that I had ordered and paid for an Uber Eats delivery of Popeyes chicken—$24.
When I logged into the Uber Eats account, the scammer had also signed me up for Uber One. I checked my credit card that I had on file, and sure enough, there were a few pending charges from Uber.
I did a quick Google search for “how to cancel Uber One” and canceled it. Then I looked at my account information and discovered the phone number was still wrong. I tried to change it, but Uber would not allow it.
I then tried to log into my account through the website, and again, I could not update my phone number. I sent emails to Uber explaining the situation and called it a day. I was exhausted.
Day 2
I woke up to a handful of emails from Uber. A couple of them said they were happy to hear everything was resolved. “What!” It’s unfortunate that Uber support does not seem to listen very well.
Maybe they prefer to assume everything is okay to prevent more time spent on an issue. I responded to these emails explaining that the phone number was still wrong and that I had fraudulent charges on my credit card. Can someone explain how this happened?
Phone Number Is Corrected
Someone at Uber with authority corrected the phone number. All my accounts now show the phone number I have used for the past 8.5 years. I am still waiting for someone to reply on the Uber Eats charges.
However, I can not access any of my accounts now. I’m locked out. It’s a good thing I don’t plan on doing any driving until Saturday.
I am currently on the phone with Uber Support to regain access to my account. Uber will deactivate my account until the risk department gets back to me. Expect one to two days, according to the customer support person.
Reminder: Make sure that you’re signed up to drive with Lyft, in case something like this happens to you and you need to drive!
This is the last correspondence I have received. Unfortunately, I still cannot access my account in order to make the recommended changes. Therefore, the good news is no one can access my account. The bad news is neither can I. I can not drive for Uber even if I wanted to.
Here is an excellent example of the power of having both Uber and Lyft in your arsenal. If Uber keeps delaying resolution, as I expect they will, I can drive for Lyft on Saturday and Sunday.
Let’s not forget that Uber deactivated me for two months when I was a full-time San Francisco driver due to a computer glitch on my background check. I honestly don’t know what to expect this time around.
So What Happened?
I’m honestly not sure how they got access to my account since I never provided any info or confirmed anything. Our best guess is that this was some type of ‘inside job’ or they kept contacting different Uber support agents until one of them let the scammer change the phone number and e-mail without verifying the info.
I don’t think they had access to my e-mail or Uber account, otherwise they would have just changed the info. Hard to say for sure. We reached out to Uber to see if they can explain what happened and will update the article if they reply.
Recommendations
The scammers are out there. The main thing they want is the money in your wallet. I usually cash out at the end of my weekend driving. Had I been scammed on July 6th, I would now be out $400.
My recommendation is if you see any suspicious activity, like the first email I received, stop everything and cash out. Get the money away from Uber and into your bank account. Second, call Uber support, identify yourself with your driver’s license, and immediately get your email and phone number corrected.
As you can see from my experience, scammers move fast. Third, follow up with Uber support until everything is back to normal. I still can’t access my account. I will have to keep interacting with Uber Support until all my issues are resolved. After many run-ins with Uber support, I have learned to stay patient and persistent.
Key Takeaways
All scammers can go to hell. Get a real job. Leave us alone. Unfortunately, some scammers are the scum of the earth, trying to take money that we, the hard-working drivers, have earned. So be it. Be prepared, Take quick, decisive action, and don’t give up.
#1. Cash-out
#2. Contact Uber Support and make account changes
#3. Deal with any unresolved issue with persistence and patience
Fortunately, these scam attempts don’t happen too often. You may feel violated. You may feel vulnerable. You may feel angry. Take care of yourself, handle your business, and move on.
That is how I have dealt with scammers and Uber support. I wish you the best of luck. Hopefully, I will have access to my account by Saturday, and see you on the road. Be safe out there.
