"Do Not Get Into The Car" - Grab Passenger Warns The Public Of Dodgy Drivers
It all started with a call from the Grab driver.
Passengers who frequently use ride-hailing services should be cautious of who their drivers are, as it appears that there may be fraudsters out there who are up to no good
A man took to Facebook to warn others to be aware of questionable drivers attached with tech companies that offer ride-hailing and logistics services such as Grab.
He felt that there was a need to inform the public of a possible scam going on involving dubious drivers after his own experience recently.
"If you booked a ride via Grab, and a different person calls you or turns up saying the driver sent him or her, do not get into the car," Jern Siong wrote on Facebook.
It all started when Jern Siong ordered a ride with Grab. The driver called him up.
Jern Siong was told by his driver to wait for about 10 minutes as he said that it will take him that long to arrive at the pick-up point.
While it is not unusual for a driver to call up passengers, Jern Siong became suspicious when he noticed that the Grab application's tracking features showed that the driver's location and estimated time of arrival (ETA) remained the same for some time.
"I got suspicious when his vehicle never moved at all on the map, so I sent him a message."
It was then that Jern Siong received a phone call from a lady who said that she was waiting outside.
"When I queried her she just said, 'Oh yes that guy sent me to pick you up.' When pressed further, she said she would call the first guy again to confirm."
"At that point, I hung up, made a report to Grab, and cancelled the ride."
Grab responded to Jern Siong's report. "Do not get into the car."
Grab told him not to proceed with this driver and requested for his assistance in providing the number of the alleged driver who was sent to pick him up for further investigation.
"We need to investigate this. In the meantime, please put in another booking," Grab said in a reply to Jern Siong's Facebook message.
Jern Siong had attempted to book another driver from Grab but to no avail. In the end, he resorted to using another car-hailing service.
In a subsequent message reply, Grab approached Jern Siong to ensure that he was in a safe situation and have cancelled the previous booking
Jern Siong urged the public to be mindful of who their drivers are and only ride with the driver that is designated to them
He also said that passengers should ignore other people who claim that they are being sent by a driver as this may be part of a scam tactic.
"Instead, take a screenshot of the driver's details, take down the phone number and any details of the "alternate" driver, and report the incident to Grab. Then, cancel the ride and book another."
"Your personal safety is at stake. Never get into a complete stranger's car unless the person is an actual driver with Grab," Jern Siong said.
Meanwhile, Grab said that the Grab driver in question is being investigated
Grab, on several occasions, has demonstrated its commitment to provide a better option for public transportation and will not hesitate to investigate and deregister errant drivers.