Woman issues stark warning over Uber 'scam' – but people are baffled – The Mirror
A woman has gone viral on TikTok after sharing a video claiming she was almost the victim of a scam. The video has since racked up millions of views and thousands of comments
A TikTok user has issued a stark warning to Uber account holders regarding a potential scam after she narrowly avoided becoming another victim. In a video that has amassed over 2.7 million views, Ma'kiah Michelle explained how she and her friends were approached by a woman while they were charging their phones at a train station.
The stranger struck up a conversation before hitting them with an odd request: "She's like, 'Oh well, I just have a question. Can you guys get me an Uber? I have the cash, I have the cash. I'll pay you back right here,'" Michelle recollects.
As she continues her story, she says: "The girl pulled out money, and it's like 50s-like, I'm seeing 50s and all this stuff. So I'm just looking at it wondering, like, if you got all this money, like what? It's just not making sense." Michelle's friend came to the rescue, offering the stranger an alternative: simply catch a cab since there are always taxis readily available outside the station.
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"She was not expecting that answer," reveals Michelle. "She was like…'OK. Um, um, I think I'll take the cab. I think I'll take the cab.' … Mind you, we're literally in a train station. That's when it all clicked for me-I was like, 'We're literally in a train station. We're in New York, there are cabs right outside.'".
Explaining that it had happened at Grand Central Station in New York, Michelle revealed that a man accompanying the woman continued to press her and her friends about calling an Uber; they refused. At the conclusion of her video, Michelle warned viewers not to fall for such "scams."
However, some commenters were left scratching their heads trying to figure out what the scam was, leading to various theories. "They were probably going to rob the Uber driver under your account name so it didn't trace back to them," one commenter speculated.
"The money was probably counterfeit," another person suggested. "Or change the location in the car. Next thing they're off to Jersey on your dime," a third user chimed in. Regardless of the exact nature of the scam, commenters claimed they've encountered similar situations. "This happened to me. She asked me for an Uber ride that was 6 dollars but she only had 50s so she wanted change back. I told her I would just pay for it and she told me to forget about it," one commenter shared.
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Reddit users have made similar allegations, with many claiming that they've been targeted with similar ploys, with the possible motives echoing those proposed by TikTok commenters. In a subsequent video, Michelle addressed some of the questions raised by commenters about this potential scam.
"The ways that it could have been a scam — the money that she said she was gonna give could have been fake money," she details. "I don't know what they would have done when they got into the Uber. … People were saying it could bring harm to the Uber driver. They get robbed, they could try to steal the car, they could do other illegal activities in the car. They could get sick in the car or cause things that will need the clean-up fees and all that, because who are they gonna charge? Whose account is linked? Mine."
"Plus, I do wanna say in my situation, like I said, I was at the train station. I was also in New York City, the hub of transportation," she adds later in the video. "There are trains, there are taxis, there's the metro-like, Uber was not the only option that they had. And to also have money on you? It just wasn't making sense. And that was a red flag, right?"
Commenters agreed: "At first thought, I'm like no harm no foul. I order you an Uber, you hand me cash. Then I start thinking what happens if the rob the Uber driver? The police are coming to see me as the last passenger," shared a user. "I think anytime your gut is telling you something you need to follow it," advised a second. "when the vibe is off follow."
Uber has been contacted for comment.
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