South African travellers using Uber services to and from airports are being urged to remain vigilant following reports of fraudulent drivers posing as legitimate Uber representatives and allegedly scamming passengers out of thousands of rand.
The warning comes after frequent traveller Johan van Schalkwyk raised concerns about the ongoing problem during an interview with Cape Talk.
According to van Schalkwyk, some individuals approach unsuspecting passengers at airports and offer rides while falsely claiming to operate as Uber drivers.
“They are offering the services like they were an Uber to unsuspecting people. They are scamming them,” he said.
Van Schalkwyk said the issue has also been discussed in several online groups used by tourists and international travellers visiting South Africa.
He cited reports of passengers discovering that they had been charged significantly more than the fare they were expecting.
“The thing you read often is someone saying ‘my trip should have been R420, but I got to the hotel and connected to the Wi-Fi to see I’ve been charged R4,200,” he said.
It remains unclear how the alleged fraudulent drivers are able to process the inflated charges. However, van Schalkwyk suggested that some victims may have provided their banking or card details to the scammers.
He expressed concern about the confidence with which the alleged fraudsters operate, particularly at major airports where security measures have been introduced to direct passengers towards designated e-hailing pickup areas.
According to van Schalkwyk, the problem appears to be more prevalent at night, when some security measures may not be operating at the same level as during the day.
He believes authorities and airport operators could consider formalising legitimate taxi operators and providing them with designated areas where they can legally offer their services.
“Make it clear that this is an approved taxi pickup area. That improves the situation, and it gives those legit drivers a real place to make money and to do business,” van Schalkwyk said.
Travellers are advised to use official e-hailing applications to request rides, verify the driver's details and vehicle before getting into a car, and avoid accepting unsolicited offers from individuals claiming to represent ride-hailing platforms.