Uber has long attracted the attention of scammers. So, hacked Uber accounts are in good demand on the dark web, and then surprised users how funds are debited from their accounts for trips made on the other side of the world, where they have never been.

Vice Motherboard journalists claim that they have at their disposal an interesting guide, the authors of which undertake to teach everyone who wants to deceive Uber even more sophisticatedly. According to journalists and judging by the reviews on trading platform AlphaBay, the method described in the manual worked last year and may still work.

To get started, the scammer needs to arm himself with a VPN and a proxy to create an Uber driver account using the so-called “fullz” for this. This is the name of someone else's personality, comprehensive information about which is purchased on the darknet for $10-15. Typically, this price includes the victim's first and last name, physical address, social security number, driver's license details, Contact Information etc. Full package. It is worth saying that you will have to carefully choose a fake identity, since the victim must own a car suitable for working with Uber (for example, the car must have four doors).

After downloading the Uber app on your smartphone, you need to attach fake documents to your account, such as car insurance and titles. Fraudsters claim that forging such papers is not a problem, all the necessary templates and forms are easily found on the network. In the worst case, fake documents can be ordered from "professionals" on the dark web.

The next step involves the use of social engineering. The fact is that Uber representatives will contact the new driver, conduct a short interview, check the background, and may even ask for a face-to-face meeting. However, it is not necessary to meet with representatives of the service. The authors of the guide recommend quietly skipping the scheduled interview, and then calling Uber and informing them that the meeting took place, but the data about it "is not yet displayed in the system." “In 95% of cases, they will believe you and immediately assign driver status,” the scammers write.

The next part is perhaps the most difficult. The scammer will need a second smartphone, on which, along with the "driver's" smartphone, you need to install a GPS spoofer. The authors of the manual write that you can also get by with an emulator on a laptop. Then, using hacked Uber user accounts, the scammer can pretend to be both a driver and a passenger, using a spoofer to fake the coordinates of both devices and simulate trips. After about two weeks of such “activity”, Uber will transfer the funds earned by the scammer to his bank account. As you might guess, the account must also be registered with a fake or stolen identity.

“Payments come in quite slowly and the actual ‘work’ can be quite tedious, but it’s worth it,” an unnamed user wrote on the dark web.

Journalists report that, judging by the reviews, the technique worked for quite a long time, but then Uber once again strengthened security measures, and it is not entirely clear whether such fraudulent schemes are relevant now. An Uber spokesperson gave reporters the following comment:

“Most of these scammers don't get paid. Uber's detection systems monitor account activity all the time, not just when it's created. If you create a fake account and make a number of fake trips, it doesn't mean you'll get paid."

It's good to have some services always at hand. One of these services is the ability to instantly call a taxi. Unfortunately, some taxi car companies are limited in their capabilities and cannot send a car to the right address on demand. It was because of the reasons for the constant delay, not finding the address, breakdowns and employment of taxi cars that the Uber service was created.

The founding of Uber dates back to 2009, when Travis Kalanick and Garrett Camp decided to create their brainchild. Simultaneously with the company, an application of the same name was created for WindowsPhone, Android, iOS, BlackBerryOS systems. At the same time, the company first established itself as an executive class taxi service. And in 2012, it expanded its powers to economy class cars. In the same year, Uber enters the international arena. Today, the company provides passenger transportation services not only by car, Uber has boat and helicopter transportation in its arsenal.

Registration in the system

The Uber system works through mobile communication, location maps, and an installed application on an Internet-enabled device. After installing the application, you need to register. She needs data Email, password, phone number for communication between the driver and the passenger, data on the bank card or the number of the payment system on the Internet. Next, you need to confirm the code that will come via SMS. Payment in the system occurs by debiting money from a bank card or an electronic payment service. Not only customers go through this registration procedure, car drivers also use a similar system.

Advantages of the service

Many customers of the Uber system note the following advantages of the service:

• Ability to call a taxi at any time.
• Possibility to book a trip without cash.
• Vehicle delivery speed.
• The trip is carried out only on reliable cars.
• The cost of the trip is calculated immediately before the decision to call is made.
• Attractive promotions and discounts for regular customers of the service.

Also, the advantages were appreciated by the drivers of cars providing transportation of passengers, they include:

• The possibility of earning money without installing a meter, walkie-talkie and taxi sign for any driver who has his own car.
• During peak hours and on weekends, the company raises transportation rates.
• A system of accumulative points for each order, which can then be converted into money.
• The cashless payment system gives the driver the opportunity not to look for change and not to worry if the client has a lack of funds.
• Payment for the service is 20% of the cost of the trip.

In general, for drivers, the Uber system is designed as an opportunity to earn extra money without unnecessary problems and headaches.

Service Disadvantages

Unfortunately, there are also flaws in the system. Moreover, the problems are associated not so much with the work of the service, but with the possibility of fraud and deceit, both on the part of the service, and on the part of the driver or passenger. The main disadvantages include:

• Entering payment information into the system. The criminal element does not sleep and, having data bank cards, easily withdraws funds to a personal account, disguised as a service.
• Lack of service development in Russia. To date, Uber is developing only in St. Petersburg and Moscow. At the same time, not all drivers will agree to make long-distance trips.
• When canceling an order, a penalty is charged if the order is not canceled within 5 minutes after submission.

When working with the service, many drivers and passengers note a large number of scams carried out independently of the parties. At the same time, to prove that either is practically impossible.

How uber cheats passengers

Due to imperfect legislation, the way of life and the Russian nature of our people, such a system as Uber cannot work in Russia on European terms. In our country, there is no trust in banking systems and cards are only a way to get money from an ATM, so the operation of such a service is often issued on a credit card, which leads to the fact that in addition to paying fixed assets, you also need to pay an interest rate. This fact significantly increases the cost of funds for the services of such a service.

The system cannot affect the condition of the drivers in any way, so the passenger is not insured in any way from a drunk or inadequate driver. Also, no one will provide insurance during an accident or an accident. And given that the work in the service is carried out mainly on private cars, then such cases are equal to the ruin of the driver and the loss of health to the client. And canceling the trip is fraught with a fine.

Entrepreneurial drivers can easily close an order a little later than the stated time, which negatively affects the cost of travel. This is especially true if the client needs to travel to several places in one trip. Although the client can trace the route and calculate the cost of the trip, an experienced driver will still find how to get around the bans and acquire additional benefits.

The presence of dirt in the car and some discomfort in the form of the driver's things is quite normal for such a service. In addition, the behavior of the driver may be not courteous and rude.

AT recent times the facts of trips not made by passengers at all have become more frequent. Social networks are full of messages about this type of fraud. People who are in Russia according to uber take a taxi in Paris or in other countries. At the same time, huge funds are written off from the accounts, and the support service has been working for a long time. Therefore, it is not a fact that the funds will be returned to the card without delay.

How uber cheats drivers

Drivers also suffer from imperfections in the uber system. Not everyone can afford to have a personal car and use the cars of partner companies. This fact leaves the driver no money at all, because for one trip you need to pay 20% to the uber service and about 70% to the partner company. But on the other hand, there are constant orders, and the driver knows where the influx of work is expected at the moment. There is practically no downtime. The second question is the duration of trips, if the trip is short, then it is quite possible to take several orders at the same time and carry passengers along a given route. For this, the system has a special tariff plan.

The scoring system in our region also does not justify itself. The passenger may well give the driver a low rating, and this leads to the fact that there are fewer orders. And in the case of a very low rating, a complete blocking of the driver is possible.

Russian people are used to the fact that the service sector is all possible fulfillment of the whims and desires of the client. At the same time, forgetting that the uber service is a simple possibility of delivery from point A and point B. And that an ordinary person who is completely unrelated to the taxi service and has several entities can serve the trip.

The unwillingness of the client to pay a tip is not disputed by the service. In addition, the maintenance of the car, its repair, is completely the responsibility of the driver. The service can only pay for washing in case of contamination by the client, but this still needs to be proven. Moreover, when registering in the uber system, preference is given to new cars, and not everyone can afford to “kill” a new car bought with their own money for taxi services.

Drivers' problems such as: bad roads, impossibility of driving for technical reasons on a given route, traffic jams, accidents, traffic police inspectors do not care about uber service managers at all. Therefore, if we compare all the pros and cons of such a service in Russia, then there will be much more cons.

To whom to complain

At rude behavior driver, illegal provision of services or for other reasons, you can write a complaint against the driver. Share it in personal account client. But not the fact that you can prove anything. Did the driver take a long road? Well, there was a traffic jam on the short way. Did the driver behave inappropriately? Well, it still needs to be proven. And the sobriety and adequacy of drivers is not checked at all by any authorities. Unfortunately, complaints and exhortations in the uber service are not considered in every case. And this fact is not good for both drivers and passengers. The former are debited for the trip in any case, the latter are debited in the event of a complaint rating. Judicial decisions are not relevant here, and few people will go to court for such a trifle as a taxi ride.

To use the service or not

Whether or not you use Uber is up to you. Despite the benefits offered, there is always a risk. In this regard, the system gives the first trip to new customers. This makes it possible to evaluate correctly, evaluate the service, delivery time and attentiveness of the driver. Many customers also note that the service is somewhat cheaper than the official taxi services, until this affects the facts of fraud. And there is no need to think that there will always be a solid idyll. The uber system is not perfect and is not adapted to the conditions of Russia, where troubles on the road can appear at any moment.

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Service Uber taxi has proven itself with positive side, most people prefer to use these services, instead of hailing a street taxi. But recently appeared the new kind fraud that can turn a comfortable trip into a real nightmare, which at the same time will cost a pretty penny to the client, writes.

Some drivers are scammed by sending fictitious photos of the dirty interior of the car to the company in order to receive a financial refund for the cleaning. But there are also other ways to deceive not only the company, but also the passengers.

“I didn’t notice the $157 charge because it happened a second before the actual ride I booked with Uber was charged,” he says. - Apparently, they have such a tactic. I noticed only 30 days later when I received a suspicious big score by credit card", - writes Mike, one outraged Uber customer.

But a call to the support service did not resolve the situation. The deceived client posted on the Web all the correspondence, which will clearly not benefit the well-known service.

“Let them put me on the black list now, I still don’t intend to use their services anymore.”

Mike explained the whole situation and demanded a refund of the amount deducted from the account. To this came the answer that the driver demands compensation for the pollution of the cabin after the trip. The answer was accompanied by a photo and a postscript with the following content:

“When this happens, drivers can't take orders and have to spend time cleaning the car instead of delivering passengers. Thank you for your understanding".

Frustrated by the incomprehension of the support service, the “passenger” again explained that the littered interior was not his fault, since he did not even drive this car. As an additional confirmation of his words, Mike argued that the details of the order say that he drove from Romulus to Royal Oak in just three minutes - it is simply unrealistic to complete this route in such a short time. Also, the "passenger" added that, obviously, the driver is cheating.

Further, the correspondence continued in the following vein: the support service explained to Mike how their rules for reimbursement of compensation for cleaning work, he, in turn, tried to prove that he was not in the salon, and he did not use Uber services. Uber then agreed to refund the cleaning fee and cut the fare down to $6.90.

However, after the customer stated that he did not agree to receive refunds with Uber credits, and the question of the amount of the refund, the support team changed their decision to refund the damage:

"We cannot recalculate the cost after 30 days after the completion of the trip."

To which Mike replied:

“You didn’t clarify anything. Obviously, you CAN recalculate after 30 days, because you just did (you recalculated the cost of the trip, refunding me the cleaning fee). Please refund the balance."

In response, a frankly absurd message came:

“Because this trip took place over a month ago, we cannot make any recalculations.”

Mike decided to go the other way and refused to recalculate, demanding to return the money to him, "which the driver stole using your platform." To this, the support service duplicated the previous message with a cynical postscript “No response required”.

This ended the correspondence, which, however, did not weaken Mike's desire to return his money. Netizens advised him to contact the issuing bank credit card and request a refund due to fraud. Without any lengthy and absurd correspondence, the bank refunded the T-shirt for $157.

Mike is not the only Uber customer who has been scammed. One passenger was charged $150 “for cleaning”, although the girl did not litter in the cabin at all during the 10 minutes that she was driving in the car. So the $11 trip cost her $161. The support team did not respond to any of her complaints.

And here is another passenger who was able to avoid additional cleaning fees, as he was able to prove that the liquid that caused the pollution of the cabin was just ordinary water.