Creeper alert: Some guy pretending to be an Uber driver picked up a Portland woman.
Earlier this month, a woman ordered an Uber ride at Southeast Grand Avenue and Alder Street. A few minutes later a blue Toyota Rav4 stopped near her and she asked the man inside if he was her Uber driver, according to a news release by the Portland Police Bureau. He said he was, so she started to get in the back seat of the car. He suggested she sit up front instead.
As the driver was crossing the Morrison Bridge, the woman got a call from her real Uber driver and asked the man in the Rav4 to pull over immediately. She got out of the car without incident, PPB reports. Yikes.
The woman says the imposter was an “East Indian male in his 40s with black hair and brown eyes, wearing a brown leather jacket,” according to the news release.
Police say there was no threat of violence but warn Uber riders to confirm their driver is a licensed Portland Uber driver.
An Uber spokesperson suggests that before getting in the car, a rider should ask to see the driver’s photo and check the license plate number, the picture of the vehicle, and the driver’s rating. Make sure you match the driver and car. When the ride is over, riders can rate their drivers and provide feedback. The Uber spokesperson suggested riders should do so to allow Uber staff to check on any issues.
Anyone with information about this incident may send an email to CrimeTips@portlandoregon.gov, reference case #15-353171.
Uber gives you much more info about what your car looks like including the license plate than a cab company does, I wonder if the person didn’t speak much english and was as confused by her actions as she was frightened by his. It really is on the user to compare the license plate they are waiting for to the license plate on the car…
Even real Uber drivers can be creepy.
Heck, at least one of the executives is a world class creep:
“A Silicon Valley power couple — he’s a top executive at Uber and she’s the head of global operations at Airbnb — tormented a live-in nanny with sexual harassment, even as they skimped on wages, paying her below the legal limit, a lawsuit claims.”
Why cant Uber send you a picture of your driver. There is an auto glass company that does this.