Uber receives complaints from customers of ‘fake interface displaying inflated trip charges’ across major cities in India

Dnyanada Sagare

09 May 2024 – Uber, an online cab company, has issued a warning to its users. According to the company, there is a “fake fair screen” scam in the market right now. To offer consumers inflated trip charges, Uber drivers use “fake screens,” or manipulated pictures, that resemble the interface of the Uber app.

Uber claims to be keeping an eye on other cities and to have received a few complaints of this nature from Bengaluru and Delhi. A passenger in Bengaluru was charged nearly twice the actual fare in the first example that has been reported.

Due to the numerous complaints it has received, Uber has sent warnings to its customers about this.

“The amount that was initially shown at the time of booking is less than what is shown on the fictitious bill that is displayed on the screen. Our understanding is that a screenshot with a higher fare is displayed after the trip ends, and the naive passenger pays the difference.” The Uber official further stated that the bogus fare fraud originated in one of the incidents when the amount presented was nearly twice the real amount.

https://www.uber.com/en-IN/blog/how-to-contact-uber-support

“Our support team assists riders in case they wish to pursue legal action against a driver. We also regularly educate drivers that there are penalties in case they violate our community guidelines. Any driver found to be involved in fraudulent activity can have their access to the Uber app removed and may never be allowed to drive with Uber in the future,” said an Uber spokesperson.

Along with this, Uber has also mentioned some measures to avoid this scam. 

Protect yourself from scams – 

• Check the driver and car details in the Uber app before you leave.
• Verify the travel after exchanging the OTP.
• Request that the driver end the trip after you arrive at your destination.
• Verify the amount shown on the screen of your mobile device and the screen of the driver. Only make the payment shown on your screen.

If you suspect that the driver is showing the wrong screen, try these things –

• Ask the driver to refresh its display and the app.
• The amount on the driver’s screen and the amount on your screen will be different, and he will only leave with taking the extra amount – keep a screenshot of your screen, a screenshot of the payment, etc.
• Then go to the app’s help section to complain, and show all those screenshots as proof.