Uber passengers in Miami are complaining to the ride sharing company and the media about a fraud drivers have found to scam them. It’s called “vomit fraud” and it’s probably less sickening than it sounds.
According to El Nuevo Herald, Uber riders in Miami are already growing sick and tired of being scammed, with some of them even saying they were targeted twice in the same night, by different drivers.
The way this so-called “vomit fraud” works is simple and it relies mostly on riders’ inattention when it comes to reading their emails or credit card statements. A rider calls for a Uber, it arrives and takes him or her to their destination.
After payment goes through, some time after the ride has finished, the passenger receives a notification that their fare increased because an incident that had occurred during the ride. In clearer terms, once the ride concluded, the driver reported that the passenger had puked in the car. The driver even provides fake photos of the mess, which justifies an extra cleaning fee, which can be anywhere between $80 and $150.
Several riders have told the publication that they noticed the extra cleaning bill and complained to Uber about being scammed. Few of them got refunds, as the majority are still waiting for Uber to respond to their complaint.
One Uber driver tells the same media outlet that this scam has been around for some time and is widely used in Miami, as far as she knows from other drivers. “They’ve been doing it for a long time,” she explains.
In a statement, Uber stresses that it’s “actively looking into reports where fraud may be detected and will take appropriate actions,” but that “the vast majority of cleaning fee reports are legitimately the result of someone making a mess in the car.”
The way this so-called “vomit fraud” works is simple and it relies mostly on riders’ inattention when it comes to reading their emails or credit card statements. A rider calls for a Uber, it arrives and takes him or her to their destination.
After payment goes through, some time after the ride has finished, the passenger receives a notification that their fare increased because an incident that had occurred during the ride. In clearer terms, once the ride concluded, the driver reported that the passenger had puked in the car. The driver even provides fake photos of the mess, which justifies an extra cleaning fee, which can be anywhere between $80 and $150.
Several riders have told the publication that they noticed the extra cleaning bill and complained to Uber about being scammed. Few of them got refunds, as the majority are still waiting for Uber to respond to their complaint.
One Uber driver tells the same media outlet that this scam has been around for some time and is widely used in Miami, as far as she knows from other drivers. “They’ve been doing it for a long time,” she explains.
In a statement, Uber stresses that it’s “actively looking into reports where fraud may be detected and will take appropriate actions,” but that “the vast majority of cleaning fee reports are legitimately the result of someone making a mess in the car.”