Woman says she was ‘fearful’ for her life in rideshare airport scam
Updated . First published
A woman says she feared for her life as a man posing as an Uber driver at Melbourne Airport tried to scam her and locked her in his vehicle.
The concerning incident prompted the airport’s CEO to demand a “please explain” from the rideshare company.
The woman said she was locked in a rideshare car which she got into at Melbourne Airport. Nine
Uber has since confirmed the man was not driving on its platform at the time of Fatima’s ordeal.
Fatima said she was “a bit fearful for my life” during the incident on Friday night.
Returning from a business trip, she had her Uber PIN ready to share with the driver, so he’d have her destination.
That’s the system used at Melbourne and other airports.
She said they were already on the freeway when the driver claimed her PIN didn’t work.
He told Fatima she needed to transfer him money, plus pay for tolls.
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“I said to him, ‘You’re obviously scamming me and I’m not gonna pay that much’,” she said.
“I tried to open the car door, it was locked, and, I freaked out by that point.
“I was like, what if he drives off, what if, you know, he hurts me?“
She checked online and realised other passengers had been targeted before.
“He says I ordered the wrong Uber and he threatens to just drop me off right there unless I transfer him money,” she said.
“I also felt kind of like I didn’t really have a choice, my bags were in the back.”
Fatima called Triple Zero and said she was in a car with a driver who wouldn’t let her out.
Eventually, the man dropped Fatima off at home and later returned with her second suitcase.
Chief executive Lorie Argus said Melbourne Airport would be investigating.
“It’s terrible, and it’s not an expectation that we expect for a welcome to Melbourne, and it’s one that we will absolutely be following up with Uber,” he said.
A woman says she feared for her life after an Uber driver at Melbourne Airport tried to scam her and locked her in his vehicle. Nine
The advice for passengers is if there is a problem with the PIN, don’t get in the car in the first place.
But that can be difficult when it’s busy and drivers often don’t enter the PIN code until after they’ve already started the journey.
Fatima said police told her they wouldn’t be investigating unless more passengers reported bad behaviour.
“[That] was really upsetting because it happened once and once is enough,” she said.
An Uber spokesperson said it advised riders not to get into a car before confirming key details.
“At Uber, rider safety is paramount, and we have robust technology and features in place to improve safety before, during, and after every trip.
“Before a trip begins, we encourage riders not to enter a vehicle without verifying it beforehand with details provided in the app.
“This includes confirming the driver’s photo, number plate, and vehicle type, or with the six-digit PIN code at Melbourne Airport.
“If details don’t match, they should report it to Uber’s on-the-ground team at the airport, to the airport security, or via the help section in the Uber app.”
Uber said it did not allow drivers to pick up passengers outside its platform.
“Uber’s Community Guidelines make clear that off-app pickups and soliciting riders for cash or other payments outside the Uber platform are prohibited,” the spokesperson said.
“Where Uber receives a report that a driver-partner has attempted to solicit an off-app or cash trip, we have processes in place to investigate and take appropriate action.
“Breaches of our Community Guidelines and this kind of behaviour can result in driver-partners permanently losing access to the app.”
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