I was scammed by an Uber driver

Let we get accused of only focusing on scams by unscrupulous taxi drivers, here is a new category of travel cautions: scams by Uber drivers.

It's hardly surprising. Despite the best designed systems, there are unscrupulous people out there in the big, bad world, and some of them drive for a living. Some drive taxis, some drive for Uber - heck, some even drive for both!

While both environments are also home to plenty of honest and kind drivers, the stories of scams persist - and we share them, so that you can be aware and protect yourself.


I Was Victim of an Increasingly-Popular Uber Scam - Angelina Travels

"The good thing about Uber is that both drivers and passengers are rated at the end of the ride to help weed out 'bad apples'. We all know how important maintaining a good rating is, and I always make sure I rate honestly and accurately to encourage good service... Sadly, it looks like I’ve encountered a bad apple 2 days ago when my husband and I rode home from Newark airport. It was 1:30 in the morning.. [read the rest of the story on Angelina Travels]

Please Help - I think an Uber driver is trying to scam me - dinosaurenthusiast on Reddit

"Some friends and I went out to a bar, had 1-2 drinks, then got an Uber home. The next morning, I got an email from uber saying I was being charged a cleaning fee for an incident during our ride. I immediately submitted a complaint, saying there were no liquids or cigarettes with us in the vehicle, so I could not imagine what they could possibly charge several hundred dollars for. Two days later, they finally responded with photo "evidence" saying we vomited all over the back seat and door. This is absolutely false... [read the rest of the story on Reddit]. (Read more on the Uber Vomit Scam).

I got Scammed by an Uber Driver in Los Angeles going to the Airport - Points Summary

"I took an Uber to LAX (Los Angeles International Airport) for my trip to San Pedro Sula, Hondruas. It was late at night around 9:30pm and I told him I was leaving out of Delta Terminal 5. When the Uber driver took me to the “Arrivals Levels”, I knew I was going to be scammed. Why would he choose to go to the arrivals level other than the departures level? Because he knew that every flight on Earth was arriving at 9pm and that we would be stuck in traffic going from Terminal 1 to 5..." [read the rest of the story on Points Summary]

Related resources
Uber fraud: Scammer takes the ride, victim gets the bill - CSO Online
The Uber tip dilemma - IHateTaxis
Why we shelved Uber updates - IHateTaxis
Uber provides the taxi industry a good kick in the pants - IHateTaxis

Baja Mexico's double dipper gas scam

Pemex gas stations are a common sight in Mexico - and it's at
one in Los Cabos that this rental car gas scam happened
creativecommons image: mcrael on Flickr

Heading to Baja, Mexico? Watch out for the double dipper gas scam!

Many Americans and Canadians, especially those located on the continents’ west coast, frequently visit the Baja region of Mexico. This is a place increasingly popular for weddings, kite surfing and general rest and relaxation. More frequently, however, it is starting to get a reputation of numerous scams on well heeled tourists.

Most notably is the double dipper gas scam where travelers head to a gas station before returning to their rental car to the airport to find out that their credit card does not work when it is inserted into the processing machine - followed by a demand is required to rectify the bill in cash; albeit in Pesos or US Dollars. More often than not, travelers with limited time before catching a flight assume their credit card transaction did not go through and readily handover cash, sometimes driving accompanied to a nearby ATM machine to make a withdrawal before speeding off to the airport for their flight home.

Fast forward several weeks and the traveler discovers that their credit card transaction for fuel actually did go through, so they paid twice. Then begins a contestation with the credit card company over the disputed charge.

While this scam is not isolated to the Baja region of Mexico, it is safe to say that the best way around this is to put aside cash (in local currency) as your last and final transaction payment before leaving the country. This will mean for future trips you will need to build this into your overall currency exchange at the beginning of your trip.

Related resources:
Beware the gas station scam in Mexico
The hidden cost of car rentals in Mexico
How to protect yourself when renting a car - Advice from IHateTaxis
Are cross-border car rentals possible?
Renting diesel in North America