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Uber, we have a problem

E

Elektrishun

Well-Known Member
My daughter's Uber Ride account, which she has never used, was recently charged for 2 rides in a province she doesn't live in and has never visited.

While speaking to the rep from the Fraud Dept. at Scotia Bank she asked how many calls he receives for similar incidents regarding Uber Ride? He said at least once a day and today she was the second caller.

Sounds like either a glitch in the matrix, Uber got hacked, or (name new scam of the day here) ______________________________________ ?
 
Elektrishun said:
My daughter's Uber Ride account, which she has never used, was recently charged for 2 rides in a province she doesn't live in and has never visited.

While speaking to the rep from the Fraud Dept. at Scotia Bank she asked how many calls he receives for similar incidents regarding Uber Ride? He said at least once a day and today she was the second caller.

Sounds like either a glitch in the matrix, Uber got hacked, or (name new scam of the day here) ______________________________________ ?
Click to expand...
standard phishing attacks to glean account info, or poor credentials that are easily hacked... aka the password 1234 type easy
 
Elektrishun said:
My daughter's Uber Ride account, which she has never used, was recently charged for 2 rides in a province she doesn't live in and has never visited.

While speaking to the rep from the Fraud Dept. at Scotia Bank she asked how many calls he receives for similar incidents regarding Uber Ride? He said at least once a day and today she was the second caller.

Sounds like either a glitch in the matrix, Uber got hacked, or (name new scam of the day here) ______
Click to expand...

In addition, it sounds like Uber themselves might have been hacked.

But most likely as @TorontoBuilder suggests, it was a phishing setup.

Never reply to, or click links in any email. It's far too easy for scammers to send out email blasts that look like they came from Uber (or any other company), and include a link in the email that looks like it takes you to their website to update your account or provide a new feature, or a discount credit. Instead the link takes you to a phoney website that looks just like Ubers, where you provide your login details (username and password) and then promises to give you something attractive. You click the link, they say congrats, and you sign off thinking how lucky you were. In the meantime, they use your credentials to login to the real uber where they skim your data and use your credit info.

Never click any link in an email or a txt message, or a Facebook message etc. Instead, close the email and go directly to the subject account login using your browser. You will soon know if the Email was a scam.
 
@TorontoBuilder

It was my daughter's Uber account not my grandmother's.(:

Seriously though, anything is possible, people make silly mistakes.

But after a couple close calls when the kids were young and numerous discussions later about online scams I would hope they wouldn't make those kinds of mistakes.
 
Elektrishun said:
@TorontoBuilder

It was my daughter's Uber account not my grandmother's.(:

Seriously though, anything is possible, people make silly mistakes.

But after a couple close calls when the kids were young and numerous discussions later about online scams I would hope they wouldn't make those kinds of mistakes.
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even those who are regularly bombarded with security warnings and training fall prey...

In fact a hacker successfully phished a uber employee via their slack channel... happens at every major company, because harried tired employees can err like any other human can
 
TorontoBuilder said:
even those who are regularly bombarded with security warnings and training fall prey...

In fact a hacker successfully phished a uber employee via their slack channel... happens at every major company, because harried tired employees can err like any other human can
Click to expand...
That's all very true.

I don't have an Uber account so I don't keep track of their history but my son reminded me that they have been hacked before.

So I think people who have accounts should be watching.

For what it's worth, an opinion of Uber's past security issues:

nordvpn.com

The latest Uber data breach: Everything you need to know

Learn all you need to know about recent Uber data breaches, including what happened and how to protect yourself from future incidents.
nordvpn.com nordvpn.com
 
Elektrishun said:
So I think people who have accounts should be watching.
Click to expand...

It isn't just uber. It's every single outfit out there that offers on-line access. That includes banks, utilities, stores, amazon, Ali, CRA, government services, and even forums like ours. On-line access is by its very nature risky.

Although two factor authorization is better than nothing, but it's not perfect. Even things like hardware or software keys are not bullet proof. The best protection is to stay vigilant and don't take unnecessary risks.
 
Susquatch said:
It isn't just uber. It's every single outfit out there that offers on-line access. That includes banks, utilities, stores, amazon, Ali, CRA, government services, and even forums like ours. On-line access is by its very nature risky.

Although two factor authorization is better than nothing, but it's not perfect. Even things like hardware or software keys are not bullet proof. The best protection is to stay vigilant and don't take unnecessary risks.
Click to expand...
This is why I always uncheck those little boxes that say "store credit card data" because I know companies dont protect our data like they should
 
Since we're talking safer ways to do things in the digital age...

Everyone has their own ideas on what works best for them but here's how me and the missus roll.

Years ago I watched what I believe was a Ted Talk(?) with the real person who the movie "Catch Me If You Can" was based on. He later went on to work with the FBI helping to catch fraudsters like himself. Near the end of the talk he was taking questions from the audience. Somebody asked what his opinion was regarding a safe payment method. He recommended using a credit card for a variety of reasons but ONLY if you have the discipline to pay it off every month.

Watched it a second time with the wife and we have been using a credit card for a joint account almost exclusively for years without a hiccup. Build up your credit score (if that matters to you) and get a chunk of money back every year.

With the joint account 2 people are watching the money come and go so a better chance to catch something before it goes awry. As well, you can set the App notifications to alert you when there is a transaction, lock your card if you think there is an issue, and other helpful features.

Not for everybody but it seems to be a good fit for us.
 
Elektrishun said:
Not for everybody but it seems to be a good fit for us.
Click to expand...

I agree and go a step further. I use my phones wallet to keep my credit cards safe. When I use a credit card in my phone wallet to pay for something, the transaction gets completed with a digital equivalent from the wallet. The other party never gets my real card info. The wallet just pays the bill and then charges my real card. I love it. Waaaay safer than using your real credit card online.
 
Elektrishun said:
Since we're talking safer ways to do things in the digital age...

Everyone has their own ideas on what works best for them but here's how me and the missus roll.

Years ago I watched what I believe was a Ted Talk(?) with the real person who the movie "Catch Me If You Can" was based on. He later went on to work with the FBI helping to catch fraudsters like himself. Near the end of the talk he was taking questions from the audience. Somebody asked what his opinion was regarding a safe payment method. He recommended using a credit card for a variety of reasons but ONLY if you have the discipline to pay it off every month.

Watched it a second time with the wife and we have been using a credit card for a joint account almost exclusively for years without a hiccup. Build up your credit score (if that matters to you) and get a chunk of money back every year.

With the joint account 2 people are watching the money come and go so a better chance to catch something before it goes awry. As well, you can set the App notifications to alert you when there is a transaction, lock your card if you think there is an issue, and other helpful features.

Not for everybody but it seems to be a good fit for us.
Click to expand...
My wife and I never carry a balance on our credit cards. We only use cc for prepaid services and groceries to make it easy for cc company to spot unusual transactions.

We also do not do any banking or commerce on our phones, so if they're lost or hacked, spoofed or whatever so people can't get our info that way
 
TorontoBuilder said:
My wife and I never carry a balance on our credit cards. We only use cc for prepaid services and groceries to make it easy for cc company to spot unusual transactions.

We also do not do any banking or commerce on our phones, so if they're lost or hacked, spoofed or whatever so people can't get our info that way
Click to expand...

We use it for everything and still get those types of notifications but maybe not as easily as you would. We still have "patterns" in our spending but obviously more diverse than yours.

On the flip side, I have heard of people, for example, being on vacation and not being able to use their card for the very reason you mentioned - it's out of the ordinary so the bank stops it. I think, but don't know for certain, this can be avoided if you contact the CC company ahead of the vacation to give them a heads up.


Keeping a lower limit, if it works for you, is another way to add some safety to your CC account. They keep offering to increase our limit. They must really like us.;)


I use my phone for online banking but never outside my home network.


My mother-in-law lost her phone. We had her call her provider and suspend the account. The phone was recovered without incident and the account was reactivated. Some personal information could still be accessed. Personal information can be accessed already besides having to steal a phone.


I could be wrong but I think my best protection against cyber crime is that I am a very small target. For example, being on this forum is my biggest online presence in years. Neither my wife or I have a social media account (my wife has a Facebook account but doesn't post anything).

If I handed a scammer an opportunity no doubt they would take it. Easy money. But I doubt that a scammer is going to spend effort zeroing in on me, especially if they don't know I exist. If I get caught someday it will likely be one of scams where they're casting a large net or when I am senile and get a call from "my favorite grandchild" who needs bail money e-transferred.

I have so little of value for thieves that I walked away from my wife's car to drive away with a friend, left her car in a parking lot on the outskirts of town for about 4 hours, came back after the event to see it still running, the only car in the lot sitting under a light, and yes, it was unlocked.:oops: True story. After the initial shock I laughed all the way home. And I realize that was both dumb and dumb luck.
 
Elektrishun said:
I have so little of value for thieves that I walked away from my wife's car to drive away with a friend, left her car in a parking lot on the outskirts of town for about 4 hours, came back after the event to see it still running, the only car in the lot sitting under a light, and yes, it was unlocked.:oops: True story. After the initial shock I laughed all the way home. And I realize that was both dumb and dumb luck.
Click to expand...


Umm.... It might be time to get the wife a new car, that one sounds like something I would drive..... :p
 
Well, I guess the "point of sale" shown on the bank statement means nothing. Apparently everyone who uses Uber Ride will get "Oshawa, Ontario" showing in their transactions. At least in these parts it seems to be the case.
 
@140mower

Sylvester_Roper_steam_carriage_of_1870.jpg


Ok, that is a little more than 30 years older. And besides, I doubt you have a hat like that.:)
 
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