A woman was left shocked after her Uber driver “cancelled” her ride while she was inside his car and then asked her to send him a bank transfer to pay the fare.
Gemma Dimond was out for a night in Melbourne on Saturday and decided to take a rideshare home.
“I got in the car, checked the license plate and everything, and I had canceled the trip,” she said in a TikTok video.
He said, “Oh, it looks like the app is crashing.” Can you give me your address and I’ll put it on our maps and figure out how much it would have been?
‘I had a separate app to calculate the price.’
The driver then told Ms Dimond that he could pay her by bank transfer.
Thinking quickly, he made up an excuse to escape the unusual situation.
“I lied on the spot. I said, ‘Oh no, it’s a work account, so it has to be on that card. Would you please stop? ‘” she said.
Gemma Dimond was out for a night in Melbourne on Saturday and decided to take a rideshare home.
“I went outside and had a friend who was standing at the entrance, so he waited until a real taxi came. It’s just a public service announcement, I don’t like it.”
Social media users said they had had a similar experience with Uber drivers in Melbourne, particularly when travelling from the airport.
“The amount of unsafe Ubers I’ve had lately is insane. I’m back to using taxis exclusively,” wrote one.
Another said: “This happened to me a few months ago when I was in an Uber from Melbourne Airport. I didn’t realise what was happening and it made me move it to the end of the journey.”
Others thanked Ms Dimond for sharing her experience and said the driver was likely trying to avoid paying Uber fares.
“This is definitely scary, but I think he’s probably trying to avoid giving Uber their cut instead of trying to hurt you,” one said.
“The job card is a great phrase to use, I’ll remember it!” wrote another.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Uber for comment.
Ms Dimond’s experience follows that of Melbourne influencer and former Love Island star Emily Ward, 26, in March.
Ms Dimond recalled the driver cancelling her ride after she was inside his car and asked for her address (file image)
Emily Ward (pictured) also had an Uber driver cancel her ride once she was inside his car while travelling from Melbourne Airport.
Ward had just landed at Tullamarine Airport and was on his way to visit his family when the driver cancelled his trip and asked for a “bank transfer”.
Detailing the ordeal in a TikTok video, Ward said she started to “freak out” when he tried to leave with her still in the car while the app wasn’t “tracking” them.
“I’m tied to this man’s car, which is trying to slowly leave the airport pick-up area. I’m alone and they’re not tracking my journey right now,” she said.
Ward said the driver then asked her to “bank transfer” the rideshare fare to him because she was “already in her car.”
Despite insisting that it would be “easier” to continue the trip, Ward demanded to be allowed to leave the vehicle with her belongings.
The driver relented after a few minutes of arguing and feeling guilty, but Ward was shocked to see him try to scam another unsuspecting passenger after her.
Ward said when he realized the driver was scamming another person, he called a patrol officer who told the driver to leave without picking up any passengers.
That’s when Ward suspected he knew what the driver was trying to do, saying he might want to avoid rideshare fees and pocket the full fare.
“I feel bad because I just ruined this guy’s scam because he’s trying to make more money for himself, but at the same time that’s very illegal, very dangerous,” Ward said.
“He would lose his license without a doubt. I’m still thinking about reporting him because he would lose his rideshare license and he would lose his entire source of income.”