Friday, September 9, 2016

Now this is disturbing . . .

So do you ever wonder how safe you are as a driver - from your passengers?  I mean if anything
The visa gift card I used
happened and a passenger gave you problems, serious  issues like bodily harm, would you be safe? Could the police track them down?

What about something less scary - how are those under age kids getting their own Uber account?

One of the first things my sons said to me when I said I was going to start driving: "We're not worried about you mom, no one else can drive your car!"  They referenced the fact that I drive a stick shift, manual transmission - hey it's a MINI! What do you expect?

Anyway, losing my car to a thief was the last of my concerns.

Rider Account showing CC #
I thought since one has to have a credit card or paypal account to get an Uber account that means the company will know who the account holder is right?  I mean you have to be 18 to get a credit card and the credit card company and pay pal will have your address right?

That all went out the window last weekend and I've been sitting on this trying to decide what to do.  Do I tell you all how unsafe this is, do I find an interested reporter?  Maybe it's not that big of a deal.  But you know, I think maybe you should know. Especially women, not that men can't be harmed by a passenger but let's be real

So I had to reset my Uber rider account because I didn't remember which card I had used to set it up, and the email address with the account is no longer valid.  Apparently when you want to change ANYTHING on your rider account you have to login again but I couldn't remember the password and since my email wasn't valid I would not receive the reset link so I had to uninstall and reinstall.

Uber showing as a pending transaction for verification
So now I'm resetting my rider app and get to the part to put in a credit card (or connect to paypal) and I thought, "I'm just going to test this and see . . ."  I grabbed a pre-loaded Visa gift card that I buy at my local grocery store to help me stay on budget.   I put the number from the card in the app - remember the card has NONE of my personal info - and the app took the card for payment.

Soooooo, in case you haven't caught on yet, you could put in a fake name, fake info and use a preloaded gift card with enough funds to cover your fare and BINGO! You can now assault, steal a car, commit a crime in your Uber and no one will be able to find you.

Is that not just a bit disturbing? Or is it just me?  Tell me your thoughts in the comments below.


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4 comments:

  1. UnknownSeptember 9, 2016 at 5:09 PM

    I like to take a moment to thank you for making this so clear to a would be criminal that wished to do people harm. You made it a lot easier to understand this.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The Uber G1rlSeptember 9, 2016 at 5:10 PM

      I think you need to look in your Uber app - someone just posted on a driver group where the Uber app itself explains how to go get a prepaid card to use for payment - just a matter of time before someone exploits this feature (if they haven't already)
      If you don't feel safe - don't drive or at least get a dash cam

      Delete
  2. AnonymousSeptember 11, 2016 at 7:58 AM

    I'm a driver luckily I drive in a state that allows stun guns. I also have a dash cam with gps

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  3. MikkiOctober 2, 2016 at 6:05 PM

    I'm another female driver who started last October. This past year has been quite the learning experience for me as well. However, I never considered this prepaid card situation. Quite disturbing. One policy I've had is if I get a call and the name comes up as just a letter (like "J"), I've cancelled the call. I at least want a name on file with Uber when they find my dead body somewhere (kidding, I hope). I don't understand why Uber even allows someone to sign up that way. But considering the whole prepaid card thing, does the name, or lack thereof, even matter? Like the previous commenter, I live in state where stun guns, as well as pepper spray, are legal. In fact, I started selling them, in styles and colors that appeal to women as well as men. I also meet with women in groups -- at their homes, jobs, sororities, etc. to educate them how to be safer. Visit me at mydamselpro.net/PRO12844.

    ReplyDelete