# Cheating Uber



## TimFromMA

A friend of mine who drives for Uber just told me about his own method of screwing uber over.

When he gets a ping, he drives to the location. He offers the passenger a small discount on the quoted fare if they pay him directly. He can either accept credit cards with his phone or takes cash. If the passenger accepts the deal, he gets them to cancel the trip, goes offline and drives them to their destination. If the passenger doesn’t take the deal, he ubers them over the traditional way.


----------



## Actionjax

TimFromMA said:


> A friend of mine who drives for Uber just told me about his own method of screwing uber over.
> 
> When he gets a ping, he drives to the location. He offers the passenger a small discount on the quoted fare if they pay him directly. He can either accept credit cards with his phone or takes cash. If the passenger accepts the deal, he gets them to cancel the trip, goes offline and drives them to their destination. If the passenger doesn't take the deal, he ubers them over the traditional way.


You get caught or reported for this you are history. End of story. Skimming from Uber is not a new way to do things. I have an app on my phone that will taxi meter at whatever rates I set. Fact is it's more risky than playing by the rules.

I highly recommend against doing this. You are not a Taxi and if you are not set up as one then you are leaving yourself open for trouble.


----------



## TimFromMA

I told him that this is ill advised and probably illegal. Plus he won't be covered under the insurance if something happens.


----------



## Casuale Haberdasher

TimFromMA said:


> A friend of mine who drives for Uber just told me about his own method of screwing uber over.
> 
> When he gets a ping, he drives to the location. He offers the passenger a small discount on the quoted fare if they pay him directly. He can either accept credit cards with his phone or takes cash. If the passenger accepts the deal, he gets them to cancel the trip, goes offline and drives them to their destination. If the passenger doesn't take the deal, he ubers them over the traditional way.


POST # 1 /TimFromMA: WOW! "Your
friend" is driving in a
Fool's Paradise: an At-Fault Accident will
leave him with No Vehicle. Add Injuries
to PAX and it's Financial Ruination. Be-
fore that Happens he'll probably be
nabbed for Selling something "Hot" to
Law Enforcement.


----------



## Kalee

Actionjax said:


> You get caught or reported for this you are history. End of story. Skimming from Uber is not a new way to do things. I have an app on my phone that will taxi meter at whatever rates I set. Fact is it's more risky than playing by the rules.
> 
> I highly recommend against doing this. You are not a Taxi and if you are not set up as one then you are leaving yourself open for trouble.


What he said


----------



## dmiller227

How in the hell can he offer a better deal than uber? Uber is already bottom of the barrel cheap.


----------



## Oc_DriverX

dmiller227 said:


> How in the hell can he offer a better deal than uber? Uber is already bottom of the barrel cheap.


The window isn't too big, but he can offer something between the Uber rate and what he would net. Its not worth the risk, imho.


----------



## CityGirl

Bandit cab is illegal. Cutting Uber out will get him deactivated. The big issue is the insurance, he's not doing anyone a favor there. Any rider could report him at any moment. Foolish.


----------



## TimFromMA

I think the idea is that he offers a discount of 5 - 10% and pockets all of it, denying Uber their 20% cut.


----------



## CityGirl

TimFromMA said:


> I think the idea is that he offers a discount of 5 - 10% and pockets all of it, denying Uber their 20% cut.


Yes obviously. It's not worth it.

I had a pax try to make a deal like that with me when I was driving less than a month. No thank you, not worth my measly but necessary job, such as it is.


----------



## dmiller227

TimFromMA said:


> I think the idea is that he offers a discount of 5 - 10% and pockets all of it, denying Uber their 20% cut.


Yeah, I figured it was something like that. But, most people don't want to sit there and figure out percentages and all that nonsense, especially to maybe save 2-3 bucks. They just want to go.


----------



## TeleSki

Totally not worth the risk for making maybe a couple hundred bucks a month. Not to mention, I'm sure one of these times he'll pick someone up who will complain to Uber, and he's gone. If I were a rider, I'd think it was pretty shady, and wouldn't want to ride with him. Of course, most Uber riders are all about cheap, and may go for it.


----------



## Pubsber

If he refuses to listen to you than tell him to at least only do this with surge rides. Passengers will be more grateful i believe if you can save them a little bit of money for suge rides. Just be like " Hey your on a 3x surge right now and i think its unfair for uber to be charging three times the amount. I can provide a discount to help if you pay me upfront. but dont tell uber cause they will bill you for the correct amount. I like to help people during sugre times because i think its unfair."


----------



## TeleSki

Pubsber said:


> If he refuses to listen to you than tell him to at least only do this with surge rides. Passengers will be more grateful i believe if you can save them a little bit of money for suge rides. Just be like " Hey your on a 3x surge right now and i think its unfair for uber to be charging three times the amount. I can provide a discount to help if you pay me upfront. but dont tell uber cause they will bill you for the correct amount. I like to help people during sugre times because i think its unfair."


That's not so bad, but you still open yourself up to a lot of liability.


----------



## Pubsber

TeleSki said:


> That's not so bad, but you still open yourself up to a lot of liability.


I meant it as a last resort if his friend refuses to listen to him. Like if he is going to do it anyways, at least do surge rides to minimize the risk


----------



## elelegido

CityGirl said:


> Yes obviously. It's not worth it.
> 
> I had a pax try to make a deal like that with me when I was driving less than a month. No thank you, not worth my measly but necessary job, such as it is.


That could easily have been a cop. Taking fares for cash is an illegal street hail. There are videos on Youtube of Uber street hail police stings. Car goes to the pound, you go downtown for a few hours + fine + record + possibly fired from Uber.

OK, the last consequence isn't that bad, but the first four... no thanks.


----------



## Lidman

Actionjax said:


> You get caught or reported for this you are history. End of story. Skimming from Uber is not a new way to do things. I have an app on my phone that will taxi meter at whatever rates I set. Fact is it's more risky than playing by the rules.
> 
> I highly recommend against doing this. You are not a Taxi and if you are not set up as one then you are leaving yourself open for trouble.


Well if uber can skim from it's drivers, so why can't drivers do the same things. After all uber says that drivers are equal partners. Correct?


----------



## thehappytypist

Lidman said:


> Well if uber can skim from it's drivers, so why can't drivers do the same things. After all uber says that drivers are equal partners. Correct?


Whether he was screwing Uber or not, it's still an illegal street hail and most contracts have a clause allowing it to be terminated if they commit a crime (or are convicted, whatevs).


----------



## dmiller227

elelegido said:


> That could easily have been a cop. Taking fares for cash is an illegal street hail. There are videos on Youtube of Uber street hail police stings. Car goes to the pound, you go downtown for a few hours + fine + record + possibly fired from Uber.
> 
> OK, the last consequence isn't that bad, but the first four... no thanks.


Good one. That last sentence made me bust out laughing.


----------



## Actionjax

Lidman said:


> Well if uber can skim from it's drivers, so why can't drivers do the same things. After all uber says that drivers are equal partners. Correct?


You really want me to entertain that question? Would you do it?


----------



## Son of the Darkness

You can lie to a thief, and steal from a liar. Neither of them deserve your honesty.


----------



## groovyguru

dmiller227 said:


> How in the hell can he offer a better deal than uber? Uber is already bottom of the barrel cheap.


He can quote 5% less than uber and get 15% more on the ride. But he should add condiment sales to his gig, like crack, pot, booze, ecstasy, and LSD. Along with that he can further supplement his uber income by selling stolen Rolex watches, diamond jewelry, and deeds to real estate, and classic cars.


----------



## Lidman

thehappytypist said:


> Whether he was screwing Uber or not, it's still an illegal street hail and most contracts have a clause allowing it to be terminated if they commit a crime (or are convicted, whatevs).


They can terminate regard of a crime or not. They can deactivate you if a pax complains that blew your nose, or blinked.


----------



## thehappytypist

Lidman said:


> They can terminate regard of a crime or not. They can deactivate you if a pax complains that blew your nose, or blinked.


And that's one thing I don't understand in the IC vs Employee debate. People say Uber being able to terminate the contract is a sign of drivers being employees but every contract has an out for both sides. You're not stuck in it forever. If either side doesn't like what's going on then boom contract is terminated. That doesn't define an employee/employer relationship. The reason for terminating, yes, but not the fact either side can terminate at any time.


----------



## Lidman

The thought of uber getting a taste of it's own medicine would make me a happytypist.


----------



## UberDude2

Ironically enough I had a female PAX last night tell me she heard from a friend that some drivers will offer a discount if paid in cash. It felt like a set up. No sooner did the words come out of her mouth I was already saying it's not worth the risk. We could get deactivated for it.


----------



## iDriveNashville

Lidman said:


> Well if uber can skim from it's drivers, so why can't drivers do the same things. After all uber says that drivers are equal partners. Correct?


I never saw *equal *partner anywhere. They provide the insurance, they make the rules. Unless you feel like making million dollar dice rolls on every fare.

There are ways to work the system, but stay in the rules. Someone recognizing you're an Uber car, so requesting an Uber and surprise, surprise, since they're standing right next to you means you get the ping, completely legit. Some one giving you a booking fee through a Square reader, so they can be beside your uber when they make a request, fine and dandy as long as the ping is made and accepted before they get in the vehicle. Iffy, but technically correct.

Blatantly criminal operation is just idiocy.


----------



## iDriveNashville

Actionjax said:


> You get caught or reported for this you are history. End of story. Skimming from Uber is not a new way to do things. I have an app on my phone that will taxi meter at whatever rates I set. Fact is it's more risky than playing by the rules.
> 
> I highly recommend against doing this. You are not a Taxi and if you are not set up as one then you are leaving yourself open for trouble.


yep, and getting deactivated is the best scenario. Worst case, you get tagged by some uninsured drunken dipshit while loaded up with 4-6 pax , and you're personally on the hook for at least a mil, not counting your own injuries and damages to your car. They take folks houses for that shit.

It's literally life ruining, even if you're uninjured.


----------



## Fuzzyelvis

TimFromMA said:


> A friend of mine who drives for Uber just told me about his own method of screwing uber over.
> 
> When he gets a ping, he drives to the location. He offers the passenger a small discount on the quoted fare if they pay him directly. He can either accept credit cards with his phone or takes cash. If the passenger accepts the deal, he gets them to cancel the trip, goes offline and drives them to their destination. If the passenger doesn't take the deal, he ubers them over the traditional way.


Just curious. When does he get the payment? Up front? Because I would be curious to see what happens if not and the customer jumps out without paying.


----------



## UberDC

TimFromMA said:


> A friend of mine who drives for Uber just told me about his own method of screwing uber over.
> 
> When he gets a ping, he drives to the location. He offers the passenger a small discount on the quoted fare if they pay him directly. He can either accept credit cards with his phone or takes cash. If the passenger accepts the deal, he gets them to cancel the trip, goes offline and drives them to their destination. If the passenger doesn't take the deal, he ubers them over the traditional way.


Did you tell your friend that he's an idiot and remove yourself from said friend?


----------



## TimFromMA

Everyone does dumb shit at some point in their lives. We'd ALL be alone if our friends abandonded us for them.


----------



## Oscar Levant

I've had riders asked me to go off the meter so to speak and I just assume they are shills


----------



## subliminal

I can think of much better ways to game the uber system than that, your friend is an idiot


----------



## Baron VonStudley

Because we are regulated in Columbus it is more than just deactivated to do this, it is fine able at the very least. A local 6 on your side did a sting operation and aired it showing prospective riders asking if they could just pay cash and showed drivers accepting it then talking to the head of the licensing office and him being caught off guard saying they would step up enforcment


----------



## defaultuser

One of my first days driving I had some people in my car and some got out at a hotel. The trip ended and others wanted to go somewhere else.

I took cash up front for it after I asked them to get the app and they said no. 

In retrospect if that happens again I'll probably just take the cash and put in a request on my own uber app for the ride. Basically paying uber for the insurance and at the same time following the rules.

I was thinking that one way to screw uber is to get friends to get their free ride, request a pickup with you there and then drive around for $20 worth of time.


----------



## brikosig

it's easier and safer (re: insurance) to just leave the meter running and drive away.... when you have a crowd of 3-4 rowdy party group they never notice. If they do they'll just get it adjusted by uber.... and you just use your "my phone/app crashed and I couldn't get it rebooted".


----------



## Tim In Cleveland

You better watch yourself. I am convinced an undercover officer tried to set me up this Saturday. Refused to leave the car after I dropped the other two pax off and said "lets go to your house". (Doesn't know me from Adam and wants to go to my house? smells like a predator setup). Claims not to have an Uber account. I want the pax out of my car, but am becoming embarrassed at the commotion in this quiet neighborhood.
I refused and tried to get their home address. Instead the pax pretends to call a friend who is at the casino close by and that becomes the drop off point. When we arrive, the pax makes numerous attempts to pay by credit card. I refused. I wanted no evidence of "illegal taxi".


----------



## UBERxGc

brikosig said:


> it's easier and safer (re: insurance) to just leave the meter running and drive away.... when you have a crowd of 3-4 rowdy party group they never notice. If they do they'll just get it adjusted by uber.... and you just use your "my phone/app crashed and I couldn't get it rebooted".


Not cool man! Stealing from uber is cool as long as you don't get caught, but don't rip off innocent people.


----------



## Rethink402

TimFromMA said:


> A friend of mine who drives for Uber just told me about his own method of screwing uber over.
> 
> When he gets a ping, he drives to the location. He offers the passenger a small discount on the quoted fare if they pay him directly. He can either accept credit cards with his phone or takes cash. If the passenger accepts the deal, he gets them to cancel the trip, goes offline and drives them to their destination. If the passenger doesn't take the deal, he ubers them over the traditional way.


I feel like the hassle of going through that really wouldn't even be worth the money you would save


----------



## brikosig

UBERxGc said:


> Not cool man! Stealing from uber is cool as long as you don't get caught, but don't rip off innocent people.


....it was a joke... thought it was obvious.... will edit my orig msg.


----------



## brikosig

brikosig said:


> it's easier and safer (re: insurance) to just leave the meter running and drive away.... when you have a crowd of 3-4 rowdy party group they never notice. If they do they'll just get it adjusted by uber.... and you just use your "my phone/app crashed and I couldn't get it rebooted".


ok so FYI.... this is a joke.... Yes, I did do it once the pax's were total a-holes so i kept the xtra $.


----------



## fork2323

I've taken cash a bunch of times. **** uber. they don't give a shit about you. its your car, do what ever you want with it.


----------

