Uber ‘ghost’ scam sees terrifying drivers appear on people’s app and trick them out of money

The trick, apparently common in a number of Chinese cities, is meant to frighten people out of money – and seems to be working

A screenshot showing one of the ghost drivers, as shared by Chinese website Sixth Tone

Uber is haunted by ghosts that are trying to trick you out of your money.

At least that appears to be what is happening in China, where scammers are adding horrifying drivers that nobody wants to ride with. The scam works because people see the ghostly pictures appear in their app, scaring them and leading them to cancel their ride – and forcing them to pay a cancellation fee that is then passed on to the scammers.

According to Chinese news site Sixth Tone, people who are victims of the scam would order their Uber as normal. But the pictures instead show somebody often with red eyes and a pale face, looking like a zombie or a ghost, and so people don’t want to drive with them.

The scam appears to be seizing on the worry about ride sharing apps like Uber. Many people have worried that the fact that drivers can join the company relatively unchecked, and that they are thus essentially driving with a stranger.

If people do actually go through with the ghostly ride, then they’ll tend to see their drive accepted and then brought to an end. The rides don’t actually happen but the app has them lasting for less than a minute, meaning that the riders will be charged.

Phone calls to the ghost riders are never answered, according to local news outlet The Paper. People can complain and have their journeys reimbursed, but presumably the scammers are still picking up the cash.

Uber does have techniques to try and stop fake drivers. It requires that people keep up-to-date pictures and checks that they’re accurate with facial scanning technology – but it appears that the Chinese ghosts have found a way of getting around that.

Uber has told Chinese media that it has a “zero-tolerance attitude to scamming behaviour”, and that refunds would be given to anyone targeted by the ghosts. It will also be banning any fraudulent accounts and continue to investigate to find more, it said.