Bozeman man warns of Uber support scam

A Bozeman Uber driver says scammers posing as Uber support agents emptied his weekend earnings and tried to drain his debit accounts, exposing what he calls a lack of protection for drivers on the platform.

Carl Ylinen, a full-time chef who drives for Uber on Friday and Saturday nights, said he was working a late shift earlier this month when he received a call that sounded identical to Uber’s in-app relay system. The caller knew his name, vehicle and that he was en route to a rider, and told him to pull over because a passenger had reported the smell of alcohol in his car.

Ylinen, who said he is sober and depends on the side gig to cover bills, said the woman claimed to be from Uber customer support and warned that his account could be deactivated while they investigated the complaint. She kept him off the road for about an hour, asking detailed questions and promising roughly $165 in compensation for his time if Uber determined the passenger’s report was fraudulent.

The caller then walked him step by step through his Uber “wallet,” instructing him to delete his debit card, add a new “compensation” card and later cash out that night’s earnings to the new card, according to Ylinen. After he finished driving and went home, he said a second caller, again using a prerecorded voice that mimicked Uber’s system, asked him to verify his debit and Venmo card numbers and read back a six-digit security code sent to his phone.

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