“Vomit Fraud” Is Apparently a Real Thing, and It’s Happening in Nashville

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If you didn’t know by now, if you throw up in an Uber or Lyft, they’ll charge you so that the driver can go have his/her car cleaned. Cleaning up puke is a terrible experience for a rideshare driver. Think about it. Not only does the driver have to smell your puke in their own personal vehicle, they have to clean it up. AND, on top of that, their car is inoperable for the night. That’s to say, more plainly, that you can’t drive around a car if it’s soaked in vomit. I mean, I guess you could….just pick up a passenger and say, “oh yeah – don’t mind the puke back there.”

But, that’s a surefire way of getting a zero star rating, and you’re probably going to end up with more puke in your car. Bottom line is that if you can’t drive your car around for a job that requires you to do so and provide a pleasant ride experience, you lose a night’s work. Does that make sense? Good.

Naturally, though, it only took a solid hot minute for people to figure out how to scam the shit out of it.

Courtesy of News Channel 5:

Typically, if a rider loses their lunch in an Uber, causing the driver to clean or pay for cleaning, it can cost the rider up to $150 to reimburse the driver.

But in a number of cases, drivers are charging their fares the extra money without the mess actually happening.

“A passenger who thinks that they’re taking a $7 ride around town ends up getting charged $157 without knowing,” said Lisa Smith with the BBB. “They didn’t vomit in the car, didn’t leave a mess. They got out, and as far as they knew, everything was fine. And then they go and check their credit card statement, and they see there’s a $150 charge for something they didn’t do.”

Uber said they’re looking into particular cases, but they don’t have a number of how many times this has happened.

They “don’t have a number of how many times this has happened” is a veiled way of saying, “shit, guys – we don’t know how to track this.” It could be EVERYONE. WE DON’T KNOW BECAUSE WE FOR SOME REASON NEVER THOUGHT TO ACTUALLY VERIFY THIS STUFF.

Vomit fraud – who would have ever known? 2018, man. The fraudsters are getting more and more creative as technology advances. I feel bad for anyone who has to endure this. By the time you realize you’ve been hit with the charge, it’s incredibly difficult to go back and prove your innocence. How many people have just flat out lost money because of this?! Ridiculous.

Also, I’m willing to bet that this is not strictly a Nashville problem. It’s not like the Music City is known for having the most cutting edge criminals in the country. Like, if it’s happening in Nashville, this has probably been happening in other cities for years now.

As for what you can do to help prevent vomit fraud, just be cognizant of your Uber/Lyft bill. If you notice something, let the companies know as soon as possible. Check the dollar amount immediately after hopping out of a ride. Always. Make sure it looks right.

Stay safe and stay aware out there, friends.

Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD and #BeBetter. “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Alabama Crimson Tide football, the WWE, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley

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