{"id":360723,"date":"2025-12-20T16:03:13","date_gmt":"2025-12-20T16:03:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/360723\/"},"modified":"2025-12-20T16:03:13","modified_gmt":"2025-12-20T16:03:13","slug":"the-uber-scam-at-melbourne-airport-leaving-travellers-at-risk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/360723\/","title":{"rendered":"The Uber scam at Melbourne Airport leaving travellers at risk"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Like many, Case said one of the main reasons she began using Uber instead of taxis was because Uber\u2019s tracking system helped her feel safe.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m 50 years old now, so I don\u2019t really expect to be sexually harassed, but you just have that muscle memory as a woman being in a strange car of what could happen,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Melbourne Airport has instituted new pick-up zones for Ubers. \" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/c2f81b78d93942431a3f769451437b529713141a.jpeg\" height=\"390\" width=\"584\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Melbourne Airport has instituted new pick-up zones for Ubers. Credit: Aaron Francis<\/p>\n<p>In messages seen by The Age, it appears Uber\u2019s only responses to Case\u2019s report came from an automated chatbot. A later message warned that her complaint could \u201cpermanently result in losing access to the app\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe take the welfare of our riders and driver-partners very seriously here at Uber so we hope you can understand our position,\u201d the message read.<\/p>\n<p>A spokeswoman for Uber told The Age the message was sent to Case in error and was not intended for her.<\/p>\n<p>Loading<\/p>\n<p>\u201cUber sincerely apologises for this error,\u201d the spokeswoman said. \u201cAt Uber, rider safety is paramount, and we have robust technology and features to improve safety before, during and after every trip. However, for these features to be effective, riders must ensure they\u2019re in the correct vehicle by verifying trip details in the app before getting in.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The spokeswoman said passengers should not enter an Uber vehicle without verifying it beforehand with details provided in the app, including confirming the driver\u2019s photo, number plate and vehicle type, or with the PIN code at Melbourne Airport.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf details don\u2019t match, they should report it to Uber\u2019s on-the-ground team at the airport, to the airport security, or via the help section in the Uber app,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>Uber introduced a PIN system <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theage.com.au\/link\/follow-20170101-p59vlw\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">at Melbourne Airport<\/a> in 2021. In May, Melbourne Airport moved the pick-up location for taxis and Ubers so that zones are located side-by-side at Terminal 1 for Qantas flights and Terminal 2 for international flights.<\/p>\n<p>Loading<\/p>\n<p>A spokesman for the airport did not comment when asked if Uber paid a fee for the new pick-up location, but said the move was part of \u201cimproving customer choice across the airport precinct\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe safety and security of passengers and staff is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theage.com.au\/link\/follow-20170101-p5l43v\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Melbourne Airport\u2019s<\/a> top priority,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCompliance with Uber\u2019s systems and procedures is a matter for Uber and Safer Transport Victoria, and we will support their efforts to resolve this issue.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Case said she was frustrated by both Uber and Melbourne Airport\u2019s responses to her experience, as it appeared \u201cthey did not give a shit at all\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt seems like it wouldn\u2019t be that hard for the people running the queue at the airport, instead of just waving you into the car, to tell you to check your PIN with the driver before you get in,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd to make sure the drivers don\u2019t take people\u2019s luggage until they have a PIN.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Start the day with a summary of the day\u2019s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theage.com.au\/link\/follow-20170101-p57ogt\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Like many, Case said one of the main reasons she began using Uber instead of taxis was because&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":360724,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[43,44,41,39,42,40],"class_list":{"0":"post-360723","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-headlines","8":"tag-headlines","9":"tag-news","10":"tag-top-news","11":"tag-top-stories","12":"tag-topnews","13":"tag-topstories"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/360723","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=360723"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/360723\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/360724"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=360723"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=360723"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=360723"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}