Beware of phishing scammers

 

I was online last night when I got an Uber request for a pick up at my local hospital.

The rider called me, which is common for our hospital riders, most likely to tell me where to pick them up. I answered and was suprised to hear a voice announcing that he was with Uber Support.  At that moment the ride was cancelled.

The caller told me that there was a customer complaint that I looked different from the photo on my driver profile.  Having grown a beard over the winter, I thought that could be the reason and explained to the alleged support person.  He told me to go off line and my account would be temporarily deactivated until I could verify who I was.  He asked me to verify my phone number and told me he would disconnect the line and call me back on that number.   I didn't see any harm in that so I gave him that information.  He also aksed me for my license plate number for verification.  No harm in that so I gave it to him.

Then he asked me for my uber balance and to log into my bank and give him my balances.  On that, I started getting suspicious and gave him false numbers.   

This guy was good.  He had searched my phone number and had my address as well as the name of my wife.  When it started to smell phishy I asked him to verify himself by naming my wife who is named on the vehicle registration, which he did.

When he said that it matched the information he had red flages with up.  He then told me that I was verified but a notification came up from my financial institution regarding my account number.  He wanted that number to clear it up on his end. 

I told him no way, and at that point he told me that he had no other option but to deactivated me.

You could smell the BS coming over the phone line.  I said go ahead and hung up.

I then called Uber Support and notifed them of the Phishing scammer.  I gave them the ride request time and pick up location as well as the telephone number they used to call me.  Hopefully they got deactivated from the platform.

I then did a search of the phone number to discover it was a Google Voice number.  Google was closed last night and they rarely talk to humans so notifying them would be a waste of time.  I did file a complaint with FTC.GOV, giving them the number and the details of the scam call.

This serves as a warning to all to never give out account numbers over the phone to anyone saying they are with Uber or Lyft.  

Lyft, Uber leaving Minneapolis and the impact on the area's most vulnerable population

Opinion: An entire community is going to lose service because some drivers and government officials do not understand that contract workers get paid by the job, not the hour.  

When government intervenes this usually result in termination of service, lower wages for contract workers or lower wages plus union dues for contract workers.

When people decide to work a gig job they really have to closely investigate all the advantages and disadvantages.

Serveral years ago in California, drivers went on strike at LAX and made the news.  A member of the California State Senate siezed the opportunity and had a labor union write a bill that would force ride share and food delivery companies to pay minimum wage to drivers as well as provide benefits.  This almost resulted in Uber, Lyft and some delivery companies pulling the plug on operations. A petition campaign, known as Proposition 22, urged drivers to promote the signing of the petition and voting for the ballot initiative. Prop 22 made it on the ballot and the California voters saved the industry but at a tremendous cost to the drivers of Lyft and Uber. They got paid less but if they gave enough rides got stipends towards health care.

In 2014 I began driving for Lyft and Uber and  was earning $1.19 a mile and 20 cents a mile on X rides.  Today drivers in Southern California are earning 61 cents a mile (sometimes 31 cents a mile at LAX) plus 25 cents a minute.   

As policies worsen I decided to invest in a Toyota Sienna and modify my business plan to only drive Uber or Lyft XL so I could earn more, sadly my gasoline was costing about $45 to $50 a day.  I would pick up at the cruise lines and only accept XL airport rides.  After that I would head to Disneyland and work only XL airport runs.  I was driving about 1000 miles a week and the trusty Toyota Sienna held up to the challenge.

The next time you hear drivers talking about a strike, ask them whose idea was it. The odds are some union is behind it and they couldn't care less about the driver. Unions only want your money.

Here is the article:

SOURCE: https://www.kare11.com/article/news/local/lyft-uber-leaving-minneapolis-and-the-impact-on-the-areas-most-vulnerable-population-dakota-county/89-9d0c75ac-5248-4dfa-acb7-d8d68c0b536e

DAKOTA COUNTY, Minn. — Some local agencies are scrambling Friday to try and figure out how to keep providing transportation to the area's most vulnerable populations after Uber and Lyft announced they're leaving Minneapolis on May 1st due to a new ordinance. 

The move comes after the city council voted to give drivers a boost in pay after they argued the companies keep cutting their wages. 

Mayor Jacob Frey vetoed it, but then on Thursday, a majority of the council members overrode his veto. 

In a statement, council member Jamal Osman and co-author of the policy wrote, "The Minneapolis City Council will not allow the East African community, or any community, to be exploited for cheap labor. The Council chooses workers over corporate greed."

Uber and Lyft say fewer riders will now be able to afford the service, making operations unsustainable. Josh Gold, the senior director of public affairs at Uber says Minneapolis will be the only metro area in the United States without Uber. Gold wrote further in a statement, “We are disappointed the Council chose to ignore the data and kick Uber out of the Twin Cities, putting 10,000 people out of work and leaving many stranded. But we know that by working together with all stakeholders - drivers, riders and state leaders - we can achieve comprehensive statewide legislation that guarantees drivers a fair minimum wage, protects their independence and keeps rideshare affordable.”

Lyft says the new ordinance is deeply flawed and the rates are set higher than what a state transportation study found. The company reportedly offered the council three other pay rates. The policy communications manager, CJ Macklin, wrote, "We support a minimum earning standard for drivers, but it should be done in an honest way that keeps the service affordable for riders. This ordinance makes our operations unsustainable, and as a result, we are shutting down operations in Minneapolis when the law takes effect on May 1. We will continue to advocate for a statewide solution in Minnesota that balances the needs of riders and drivers and hope to return to Minneapolis as soon as possible."

Many organizations in Minnesota provide transportation to people with physical and cognitive barriers who say this move will have a traumatic effect. 

For example, four years ago, Dakota County partnered with Lyft to provide discounted rides to about 4,000 people a year. That includes Liz Workman's daughter, Tori, who gets a $1,000 stipend every month for rides to her job at a local grocery store. The money is funded by taxpayers. 

"They have to fix this," said Workman about the city council. "If they’re smart, they’ll get back into it and get some consensus on what’s the right thing to do."

Connect Ability of MN is a non-profit that partnered with Lyft four years ago. It says 3,000 people use the ride-share company and they're busy letting all those clients now know what might happen next. 

"They're literally going to have to quit their jobs because they will have no transportation to get to them," said Connect Ability of MN Executive Director Sheri Wegner. "We’re going to create isolation and we’re going to create problems with increased demand on social services and case managers in the state of Minnesota who are going to be under tremendous pressure."

She says that can lead to even further limited access to other things like stable housing, food and appointments. Wegner did commend the city council for approving a livable wage for drivers, but questions at what cost. 

"They stuck to their guns on their highest price and now everybody else has to pay the price for that," said Wegner. "That's very unfortunate."

Wegner says her clients will have to rely more on cab companies and metro transit. And even if her clients can use rideshare, it could mean more transfers and a higher cost to skirt around the city Uber and Lyft will no longer serve.

Online Rideshare inspections.

When we moved to New Mexico we discovered this service and found it to be super easy and affordable. 

Inspection fee is $25.

If you drive both Lyft and Uber you can combine the inspection for $39.

https://smartride.club/uber-inspection/

 Source: https://qz.com/proposition-22-california-ruling-win-uber-lyft-1850223028

Proposition 22 in a win for Uber and Lyft

The decision means ride-hailing and delivery companies can continue to treat their workers as contractors rather than employees

A California appeals court ruled on Monday (March 13) that companies like Uber, Lyft, and Doordash can classify their gig workers as independent contractors under Proposition 22, a ballot initiative state voters passed in 2020.

The upholding of Proposition 22 is a major victory for gig companies, who poured millions into promoting the law as a way to boost worker flexibility and lower prices for consumers, making it the priciest ballot measure in California’s history.

The most recent ruling overturns a 2021 lower California court decision that found Proposition 22 to be both unenforceable and unconstitutional.

App-based workers and labor groups have opposed the ballot measure, arguing that it strips gig workers of rights and benefits, such as health insurance coverage and sick pay, which California workers classified as employees are entitled to under a state law known as AB5.

Though the current ruling has upheld Proposition 22 as mostly constitutional, the court removed a clause that it found restricted the California state legislature’s powers to authorize collective bargaining.

Service Employees International Union, which was part of the original suit to strike down Proposition 22, has said it may appeal the decision, which would then go to the California Supreme Court.

Quotable

“Today’s ruling is a victory for app-based workers and millions of Californians who voted for Prop 22.” –A statement from Tony West, chief legal officer at Uber

By the digits

59%: Percentage of the vote that supported the passage of Proposition 22

1.3 million: The number of California workers in the gig economy during the pandemic, according to the Protect App-Based Drivers & Services Coalition

$224 million: Money that gig companies spent to promote Proposition 22

Which platform earns most?

 This is a great video and exactly hits the nail on the head why I drive XL only

Attention Seniors Drawing SSA Benefits and Driving for Rideshare

 Valuable tax information for those collecting SSA and working 

#SeniorUberDrivers
#SeniorLyftDrivers
#SeniorRideshareDrivers

Some Uber and Lyft rideshare drivers are striking on March 17 for better Safety & more Fuel Assistance

  Source: https://www.einnews.com/pr_news/565553829/some-uber-and-lyft-rideshare-drivers-are-striking-on-march-17-for-better-safety-more-fuel-assistance

Drivers are getting caught up in a surge of fuel prices, carjackings, murders, rapes and other violent crimes.

Safety and Gas Price Assistance needs to be addressed, or many drivers will not return.”— Torsten KunertLOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES, March 15, 2022 /EINPresswire.com/ -- To bring awareness to Surging Gas prices and SAFETY, drivers are organizing Strikes and Protests worldwide on March 17, St. Patrick’s Day.

Driver Advocate, Torsten Kunert, also known as the Rideshare Professor on Youtube and CEO of GigRocket.com has over 50,000 loyal subscribers that are demanding a gas surcharge and better safety in the app. #DriverandRiderSafety #DriverGasSurcharge

Fact is, customer background checks are used in other industries. Home-sharing giant Airbnb Inc. requires U.S. travelers to upload IDs and checks their information against criminal databases and sex-offender registers. Soaring Gas prices have also added to the driver's woes.

"With a treasure trove of data at their disposal, there is no reason for firms to permit drivers on their platforms who have a history of offences. Companies can also make absolutely clear to passengers that are abusing drivers in any way will not be tolerated and will get them quickly banned", the Rideshare Professor said.

The Rideshare Professor channel urges all rideshare, taxi and limo drivers to participate. The message: Drivers and riders need better safety features in the app and drivers need immediate assistance at the gas pump” says the Rideshare Professor.

Drivers are doing what they can to protect themselves. Some are avoiding nights, some only pick up passengers from the airports, and others have taken to wearing bulletproof vests. When it comes to the high gas prices, drivers have to often drive miles further to find the cheaper gas stations.

Uber just introduced temporary fuel assistance for drivers and couriers. Fact is that drivers in the Rideshare Professor channel have been complaining that the 55 cents per trip for drivers and 45 cents per food delivery is not good enough. Drivers report that they need real assistance and support.

On the safety side, drivers usually go through background checks, including getting screened for criminal history when they sign up. They are often required to take selfies on the job to prove that they are the ones driving. Passengers, however, can create accounts using false names since the apps don’t require them to disclose their identities. “It’s just not fair that these companies show our faces to customers and we can’t see their faces,” says Kunert.

Judah Bell, 48, of Vallejo, California, drives for Uber and said the company seems to favor passenger safety over driver safety. She said she’s been the victim of some form of assault or harassment “at least 20 times” in about four years of driving. “For a passenger to put their hand between my legs is not uncommon,” Bell said

Some safety tips for riders and drivers:

The combination of dashcams, rider ID photos, real names, new enhancements within the app for safety and people being aware of their surroundings and making sure they're getting into the right vehicle are very important safety precautions.

Addressing ultra high gas prices and better safety features is going to be Uber’s and Lyft’s biggest challenge. Drivers in the Rideshare Professor channel report that they are leaving for these reasons.

Safety and Gas Price Assistance needs to be addressed, or many drivers will not return” Kunert says.

Contact: Torsten Kunert torsten@GigRocket.com

Donation towards Campaign VENMO: Torsten-Kunert

Torsten Kunert

Rideshare Professor