Peter Detore drives for Uber in his spare time to make extra cash.
In December, Detore says he was the victim of a scam that left his Uber wallet drained. He says it started with a phone call from someone claiming to be with Uber support.
“The first phone call I got was a guy who claimed to be an investigator with Uber’s security division. And he said I had a complaint lodged against me that I was drinking on the job,” Detore recalled.
Detore says he was told his Uber activity would be monitored. After going through what he believed was an investigation, he says the same person called him again a few days later and told him he qualified for a bonus, “We have a program where we can give you a bonus, a cash bonus for your, you know, inconvenience,” Detore recalled.
To get the bonus, he says he was asked to enter a gift card number the person provided into his Uber phone app.
In the next couple of weeks, a series of transfers showed up on his account, ranging from $100 to more than $300.
“So, I looked at the account, and it was empty,” Detore said.
In total, $2,059 was taken from Detore’s Uber wallet and transferred to an account he says he didn’t recognize. That’s when he realized it was a scam.
What happened to Detore is called an imposter scam – when someone pretends to represent a business or government entity.
People of all ages have reported losing money to imposter scams. Data from the Federal Trade Commission shows from 2020 to 2024, the number of reports from older adults who lost $10,000 or more to these scams was four times higher.
In Detore’s case, he says he reached out to Uber about his experience and contacted NBC6 Responds.
“I was kind of still in kind of shock that something like this could happen,” Detore said.
An Uber spokesperson told us in part, “What happened to Mr. Detore is frustrating, and we are in touch with him. We urge drivers to use caution as scammers continue evolving their tactics to lure in innocent people. Uber routinely sends reminders to never share personal account information, such as passwords or verification codes, with anyone and we will never ask you for this information.”
After NBC6 Responds reached out to Uber, Detore shared an email he got from the company. The email stated Uber “discovered that his account was compromised” and it issued a one-time appeasement of $2,060.
Uber also told Detore if he ever received a suspicious call to hang up and call Uber support directly.
It’s also a good idea to use unique passwords for every online account and to not share access to your account.
Also, only adding your account information into your apps and avoid adding gift cards or unfamiliar account information.