"Ghost Drivers" Exist, Taking Over Uber in China

Seems like Halloween has arrived early in China as several Uber drivers are using zombie-like profile pictures to scare — and scam — their customers into cancelling their rides. With the cancellation comes a small fee that the drivers can collect from the frightened riders. However, this is not the only way drivers are tricking customers. If they are not scared off by the driver’s picture, the “ghost drivers” will still accept the ride claiming that the passenger has entered the vehicle, but then terminate the trip before the customer even sees the car, also resulting in small fee for the rider.

Uber is aware of the issue and has implemented a facial recognition technology to match the picture the company has on file. An Uber spokesperson states it has “taken immediate actions and banned these reported individual fraud accounts while continuing to investigate and crack down on any fraudulent behavior to protect rider and driver interests.”