Uber vomit fraud: Customers reportedly falsely charged for vomiting

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• Some Uber
  drivers are reportedly falsely reporting riders for vomiting
  inside their vehicles, the Miami Herald
  reports. The scam has been dubbed “vomit
  fraud.”
• Some drivers are reportedly sending false pictures to
  Uber’s management, prompting fines as high as $150 for some
  customers. 
• Uber told Business Insider they are “evaluating” the
  processes and technology of cleaning-fee claims. 

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Some Uber drivers are reportedly charging customers $80 to $150
after falsely reporting that riders vomited inside their
vehicles, according to a Miami Herald report.

The scam originates out of a mandatory “cleaning
fee” that Uber charges customers if they throw-up inside a
driver’s vehicle. 

The sham seems simple enough. As detailed by the Miami Herald, the Uber driver
sends false photos of the incident to Uber management, who then
initiates the fee. Uber’s
fees vary, as a spilled drink by passengers is $20, while
vomiting in or on the car is between $40 and $80. If a passenger
causes “significant amounts” of blood, urine, or vomit to affect
the interior, a $150 fine is assessed. 

In a statement sent to Business Insider, an Uber spokesperson
said, “Participating in fraudulent activity of any kind is a
clear violation of our Community Guidelines. We are constantly
evaluating our processes and technology related to these claims
and will take appropriate action whenever fraud may be detected.”

The ride-hailing company could not give Business Insider an
exact number of fraud claims, but said that most cleaning fee
reports are legitimate and that when Uber does find a confirmed
case of fraud, appropriate action is taken which includes the
removal of the driver. Uber encourages riders to report any
suspected cases of fraud immediately. 

In a statement sent to
el Nuevo Herald, Uber added, “With 15 million trips a day,
Uber is unfortunately not immune to these types of incidents.”

As noted by Uber’s guidelines section
of their website, vomiting can also lead to a loss of
ridership and use of the ap. Uber’s help-website says,
“Riders are responsible for damage to the interior or
exterior of a vehicle caused by incidents such as vomiting or
food spills.”  

The Miami Herald reports of incidents where drivers work together
to bring fees on a single customer to as high as $300. The report
includes incidents of passengers being wrongfully kicked off the
app following a false vomit submission sent by the driver. 

On Twitter, some users expressed frustration with how the
company’s customer service department is handling complaints of
vomit fraud.