Uber Eats scams are a headache many Uber Eats drivers will have to deal with at some point in their driving careers. Do even a cursory online search and you’ll see countless news stories of drivers getting scammed for hundreds – or even thousands of dollars – by thieves. For example, here’s a news story of a driver that lost over $400 to a scammer impersonating Uber support. Needless to say, having someone steal that much money from you can be devastating for anyone.Â
Fortunately, you don’t have to fall victim to these scams if you know what they are and how they work. With the right background knowledge, you’ll be aware and able to avoid anyone trying to scam you.
So, in this post, we’ll take a look at some of the most common Uber Eats scams, how they work, and what you should do to avoid becoming a victim of any of these scams. Let’s take a look.
Uber Eats ScamsÂ
While there are countless potential Uber Eats scams out there, most of them work in the same way. Here are the main scams you should be aware of if you’re driving for Uber Eats.Â
1. The Fake Uber Eats Support Scam Â
The most common scam used by thieves is the fake Uber Eats support scam. This is when someone calls pretending to be from Uber Eats support. They’ll then use your trust to get information from you and gain access to your Uber Eats account.
Here’s how it works. First, the scammer places a small order at a restaurant, usually at a fast food restaurant. Typically, the order will be for something like a soda or cookie at Mcdonald’s or another similar type of restaurant. After accepting the order, the scammer will then call the driver and pretend to be from Uber Eats support. Because the scammer placed the order themselves, they’ll know your name and the order details, which they can use to convince you that they work for Uber Eats.
For example, the scammer might call you, and say, “Hello, is this [your name].” Once you answer yes, they’ll say they’re calling about your current delivery and read out the order details to you. Typically, the scammer will then let you know there’s an issue with your account or with an issue with the order and that you’ll need to cancel it. To secure your account, they’ll then ask you to provide your login details and read back any two-factor authentication codes that are sent to you. By providing this information, the scammer can then gain access to your Uber Eats account, where they can then change your bank information (because you’ve given them your login details and all the two-factor authentication codes). The scammer then cashes out your Uber Eats balance into their bank account. If you have a sizeable balance, it can lead to a huge monetary loss.
Another variation of this scam is where the scammer calls you, again using the information they know about you from their scam order. They’ll then let you know you’re eligible for some bonus and you’ll just need to confirm your account information to claim the bonus. Some drivers, excited about this potential bonus, will provide this information without thinking about what’s really happening.
The big takeaway from these scams is to never give your account information to anyone, not even someone claiming to be from Uber Eats support. Remember this – Uber will never ask you for your account or login information (see this Uber page where they make that clear). If you receive a call like this, you should immediately hang up, then contact Uber Eats support. Uber will cancel the order for you and pay you for the order, as well as ban the scammer’s Uber Eats account.
2. The Customer Says You Didn’t Deliver Their FoodÂ
The second most common Uber Eats scam is where the customer makes a false claim that they did not receive their order. By claiming they didn’t receive their order, the customer can get free food. This scam is particularly terrible because it hurts Uber Eats drivers, who can be terminated over claims that they didn’t deliver a customer’s order, and also likely hurts restaurants because Uber Eats will probably do a chargeback on the restaurant to cover the cost of the meal.Â
Unfortunately, this is something you’ll almost always have to deal with at some point. To avoid potential issues, always try to document everything you did when delivering the order. If it’s a “leave at the door” order, you’ll be covered because you submit a photo of the delivery when you complete the order. If it’s an order that asks for a PIN, make sure you enter the customer’s PIN so that you’re covered by any claims that you didn’t deliver the order.
Another potential option to cover yourself is to document your deliveries. Some Uber Eats drivers wear body cams or GoPro cameras, which can be used as video evidence if a customer makes a false claim that their order was never delivered.
As a final option, if you have a bad feeling about a customer, taking a lot of photos of the delivery location can potentially be helpful. I know if I have a bad feeling about a customer, I’ll snap a photo at the address, just in case. It’s not foolproof by any means, but it’s at least something.Â
The absolute best thing you can do, however, is to have a good record of completed deliveries. Uber Eats isn’t going to deactivate you because a single customer claimed they didn’t get their order. If you have a lot of successful orders and a high customer rating, a false claim against you will have less impact. So, the best thing you can do is just keep a high customer rating and have a lot of completed deliveries under your belt.Â
One final word of advice. If you do receive a false claim that you didn’t deliver a customer’s order, do not, under any circumstances, confront the customer. Some people will do this out of anger or think that it’ll help them, but doing this will always lead to your deactivation and will just make things worse for you. Not to mention, it could put you in physical danger as well. It’s simply not worth it.
3. The Customer Picks Up The Food Before The Driver Gets There Â
One final scam that can happen is when an Uber Eats customer places an order on DoorDash, then goes to the restaurant before you get there and picks up the food before you arrive. Because they know the name on their order, they’ll ask for their order as if they are the Uber Eats driver picking up the food. When you arrive later, the restaurant will tell you they already gave the food to another driver, not realizing that it was the customer stealing the food. Later, the customer will get to cancel the order because their food never arrived. You get screwed out of a payout and the customer gets themselves a free meal.Â
Unfortunately, there’s not much you can do to avoid this type of scam. The only thing you can do is contact Uber Eats support when this happens. They’ll usually give you a small payout when this happens, so you can at least get a little bit of money for the time you spent going to the restaurant.Â
Note that it isn’t always the case that the customer stole the food if you arrive and the order was already picked up. Uber Eats isn’t perfect and they sometimes will accidentally assign an order. So it is possible that another driver did pick up the food before you.Â
4. The Change Of Address ScamÂ
This is less of a scam as it is a way for some customers to try to get deliveries from restaurants that are out of their range or to try to lower their delivery fees. In this situation, a customer will place an order with one address, then when you pick up the order, they’ll contact you and tell you they are actually at a different address and ask if you’ll deliver it to them. Most of the time, they’ll try to entice you by saying they will give you an extra tip.
If this happens, be aware you are under no obligation to make the delivery to a different address. Customers are responsible for putting the correct address and your only obligation is to deliver it to the address they have on file.Â
If the order isn’t much farther away (and I mean it needs to be within a few blocks of the original delivery address), I’ll often complete these orders. I’ll also deliver to a different address if the customer’s address is in a location I already plan to be in. Otherwise, I will not deliver it to a different address.
You have two options here. The first is to go to the address the customer put on file, then start the delivery timer. You can then take a photo of the delivery and leave it. The second – and better option – is to contact Uber Eats support and let them know. I think it’s better to get it on record, just in case the customer tries to say you didn’t deliver their order.
Final Thoughts Â
These are the primary Uber Eats scams you should know about when you’re delivering for Uber Eats. If you follow the tips in this post, you should hopefully be able to avoid any issues with these scams.
If you’ve encountered other Uber Eats scams that are worth mentioning, please feel free to leave them in the comments below. I hope this information was helpful!
More Recommended Ebike/Scooters
Check out these other ebikes and scooters I've reviewed:
- Urban Arrow Ebike – Last year, I made one of the largest purchases I’ve ever made – I bought a $9,000 electric cargo bike from Urban Arrow. In my Urban Arrow review, I will discuss what it is and why I decided to buy this bike, as well as discuss how impactful a bike like this can be on your journey to financial independence.
- Troxus Explorer Step-Thru Ebike – The Troxus Explorer Step-Thru is a fat-tire ebike that I’ve had the pleasure of riding for a while now. It has amazing power, great looks, and awesome range. If you’re looking for a great fat-tire ebike that offers a lot for the price, the Troxus Explorer Step-Thru is definitely one for you to consider. Check out my Troxus Explorer Step-Thru Review.
- Hovsco HovBeta Ebike – The HovBeta is a folding ebike with great specs and a lot of interesting features, and importantly, it’s sold at a good price point. I’ve had a blast commuting with it and using it to do deliveries with DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub. Check out my Hovsco HovBeta Ebike Review.
- Vanpowers Manidae Ebike – The Vanpowers Manidae is a fat tire ebike that I’ve been riding as my primary winter commuting bike and have also been using it to do food delivery with apps like DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub. After clocking in a decent number of miles with this ebike, I wanted to write a post sharing what my experience with the Vanpowers Manidae ebike has been like. Check out my Vanpowers Manidae Review.
- Sohamo S3 Step-Thru Folding EBike Review – A Great Value Folding Ebike – The Sohamo S3 Step-Thru Folding Ebike is an entry-level folding ebike that offers a lot of value for the price point. I’ve been riding the Sohamo S3 for a while now, putting the bike through its paces, and I have to say, this bike has exceeded all of my expectations. Check out my Sohamo Review.
- KBO Flip Ebike – The KBO Flip is an excellent bike. I’ve had a great time riding it and think it’s a versatile bike that can be used for a lot of purposes and can fit a variety of lifestyles. It’s worked out great for me as a general commuter bike and as a food delivery bike. Check out my KBO Flip Review.
- Hiboy P7 Commuter Ebike – The Hiboy P7 is an excellent electric commuter bike that’s offered at an affordable price point. The range and speed of this bike are both very good, so you won’t have any trouble getting anywhere you need to go with it. As a food delivery vehicle, this is also good – with how much range it offers, you’ll be able to work all day on a single charge. Check out my Hiboy P7 Commuter Electric Bike Review.
- Himiway Escape Ebike – The Himiway Escape is an interesting bike for anyone looking for a moped-style ebike. If you’re a gig economy worker, the Himiway Escape is particularly interesting and it’s possible to think of it as an investment, especially if you can opt to do deliveries with the Himiway versus using a car. It’s not cheap, but you can definitely make your money back when you compare the mileage you’ll put on your car versus using an ebike. Check out my Himiway Escape Bike Review.
- Espin Sport Ebike – The Espin Sport is a good ebike for someone who is looking for an ebike that feels and rides more like a regular bike. There are many ebikes that are really only bikes in name. In reality, they’re basically electric mopeds. The Espin Sport, by contrast, is a bike you could probably ride without the battery and you’d feel like you’re just riding a regular bike. Check out my Espin Sport Review.
- Varla Eagle One Scooter – The Varla Eagle One is an excellent scooter that can make sense for a lot of people. It can work as a primary mode of transportation. You can use it to work on gig economy apps like DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub. And it can also be a recreational vehicle if you’d prefer to use it for that. Check out my Varla Eagle One Review.
- Varla Falcon Scooter – The Varla Falcon is an excellent scooter that offers a good amount of power at a lower price point compared to more powerful scooters. It’s not exactly an entry-level scooter, nor is it a high-powered scooter. I think it fits somewhere in-between those two categories – an intermediate scooter if I had to give it a category. Check out my Varla Falcon Review.
- Hiboy S2 Scooter – The Hiboy S2 is an excellent entry-level commuter scooter that's perfect for someone looking to save some money in transportation costs and improve their commute. Check out my Hiboy S2 Review.
- Hiboy S2R Scooter – The Hiboy S2R is one of the more interesting electric scooters I’ve been able to test out. It’s not a high-powered scooter, but for an everyday transport option, it’s very useful, especially given some of the unique features that it has. Indeed, for the price, the Hiboy S2R might be the best value scooter I’ve used. Check out my Hiboy S2R Review.
- Fucare H3 Scooter – The Fucare H3 is a fun scooter and I’ve enjoyed testing it out. For a daily commuter or quick trips or errands, the Fucare H3 is probably the scooter I’ll use. It’s portable and easy to maneuver, so it’s just easier to take on the road when I need it. Check out my Fucare H3 Scooter Review.
More Recommended Investing App Bonuses
For additional investing app bonuses, be sure to check out the ones below:
- M1 Finance ($100) – This is a great robo-advisor that has no fees and allows you to create a customized portfolio based on your risk tolerance. You also get $100 for opening an account. Check out my M1 Finance Referral Bonus – Step-By-Step Guide.
- Webull (20 free stock shares) – Webull's current promotion gives you 20 free shares valued between $3-$3,000 each if you open an account using my referral link. Here’s a guide I wrote about how to earn your free shares using Webull.
- Moomoo (15 free stocks) – Moomoo is a free investing app currently offering 2 different referral bonuses if you open an account using a referral link. Read my Moomoo referral bonus guide for more information.
- Robinhood (1 free stock) – Robinhood gives you a free stock valued between $2.50-$225 if you open an account using my referral link.
- Public (1 free stock) - Public gives you a free stock valued between $3-$70 if you open an account using my referral link.
- SoFi Invest ($50) – SoFi Invest is an easy brokerage account bonus that you can earn with just a few minutes of work. Use my SoFi Invest referral link, fund your SoFi Invest brokerage account with just $10 and you’ll get $50 of free stock. I also have a step-by-step guide for the SoFi Invest referral bonus.
More Recommended Bank Account Bonuses
If you’re looking for more easy bank bonuses, check out the below options. These bonuses are all easy to earn and have no fees or minimum balance requirements to worry about.
- Upgrade ($150) – Upgrade is a free checking account that’s currently offering a $150 referral bonus if you open an account and complete a direct deposit. These bonus terms are easy to meet, so it’s well worth doing this bonus as soon as you can. Here’s a post I wrote with more details: Upgrade $150 Referral Bonus – Step By Step Directions.
- SoFi Money ($275) – SoFi Money is a free checking account from SoFi. They’re currently offering a $25 referral bonus if you open a SoFi account with a referral link and deposit $10. You can also make an additional $250 as well if you complete a direct deposit. This is a good bank that is also 100% free, so you won’t have to worry about managing this account. Here’s a post I wrote with instructions on how to earn your SoFi Money bonus: SoFi Money Referral Bonus: Step By Step Guide.
- Chime ($100) - Chime is a free bank account that offers a referral bonus if you use a referral link and complete a direct deposit of $200 or more. In practice, any ACH transfer into this account triggers the bonus. This bonus is easy to earn and posts instantly, so you’ll know if you met the requirements as soon as you move money into the account. I wrote a step-by-step guide on how to earn your Chime referral bonus that I recommend you check out.
- US Bank Business ($800) – This is a fairly easy bank bonus to earn, since there are no direct deposit requirements. In addition, you can open the Silver Business Checking account, which comes with no monthly fees. Check out how to earn this big bonus here.
- Fifth Third Bank ($350) – This offer is limited to customers in the following states: Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, West Virginia, and South Carolina. If you don’t live in one of those states, you won’t be able to open an account online but you can still open an account in-branch if you happen to be visiting a city that has a branch. This is a fairly easy bank bonus to earn, especially since there are plenty of data points showing what will trigger the direct deposit requirement. In addition, you can open the Fifth Third Momentum Checking bank account, which comes with no monthly fees or minimum balance requirements. Read my guide on this bonus here.
- GO2Bank ($75) - GO2Bank is an easy bank bonus that I recommend people take advantage of if they have an easy way of meeting the direct deposit requirement. I like that it’s easy to open the account and that the bonus pays out quickly. Check out my step-by-step guide on how to earn your GO2Bank $75 referral bonus.
- Current ($50) – Current is a free fintech bank that’s offering new users a $50 referral bonus after signing up for an account using a referral link. Current is an easy bonus to earn and also gives you access to three savings accounts that pay you 4% interest on up to $2,000. That means you can put away up to $6,000 earning 4% interest. That’s very good and makes Current an account I recommend to everyone. Check out my step-by-step guide on how to earn your Current Bank bonus.
- Netspend ($40 + 5% Interest Savings Account) – Netspend is a company that provides 5% interest savings accounts. If you sign up using my referral link, you’ll get a $40 signup bonus once you make your first deposit into your Netspend account of $40 or more. That means you get a 5% interest savings account and a free $40 to start! Make sure to check out my in-depth guide on how to set up these accounts.
- Digital Federal Credit Union ($20) – Digital Federal Credit Union (DCU) is a free, nationwide credit union that I recommend to readers for two reasons. First, DCU has a $20 referral bonus if you open a free DCU checking account with a referral link. Second, DCU has a saving account that gives you 6.17% interest on your first $1,000. Check out my in-depth post on how to set this account up.
- Novo Bank ($40) - Novo bank is a free business checking account that’s currently offering a $40 bonus if you open a Novo business checking account using a referral link. In addition to being a good bank bonus, Novo is also a good business checking account. It has no monthly fees or minimum balance requirements and operates a good app and website. Indeed, it’s the business checking account I currently use for this blog. Check out my post on how to easily open a Novo account.
- Varo ($30) – Varo is a free fintech banking app similar to Chime or Current. It’s currently offering a $30 bonus to new users that open a new Varo account with a referral link. The bonus for this bank is very easy to meet, all you need to do is spend $20 within 30 days of opening your Varo account. Check out my step-by-step guide to learn how to earn this bonus.
Kevin is an attorney and the blogger behind Financial Panther, a blog about personal finance, travel hacking, and side hustling using the gig economy. He paid off $87,000 worth of student loans in just 2.5 years by choosing not to live like a big shot lawyer.
Kevin is passionate about earning money using the gig economy and you can see all the ways he makes extra income every month in his side hustle reports.
Kevin is also big on using the latest fintech apps to improve his finances. Some of Kevin's favorite fintech apps include:
- SoFi Money. A really good checking account with absolutely no fees. You'll get a $25 referral bonus if you open a SoFi Money account with a referral link, and an additional $250 if you complete a direct deposit.
- 5% Savings Accounts. I'm currently getting 5.25% interest on my savings through a company called Raisin. Opening a Raisin account takes minutes to complete, it's free, and all of your funds are FDIC-insured. I explain how it works, why I'm now using it to store my emergency fund and any other cash savings I have, and why I recommend everyone check it out in this review.
- US Bank Business. US Bank is currently offering new business customers a $800 signup bonus after opening a new account and meeting certain requirements.
- M1 Finance. This is a great robo-advisor that has no fees and allows you to create a customized portfolio based on your risk tolerance. You also get $100 for opening an account.
- Personal Capital. One of best free apps you can use to monitor your portfolio and track your net worth. This is one of the apps I use to track my financial accounts.
Feel free to send Kevin a message here.
Uber eats 8s the WORSE… they will block you if you have to many complaints. We are customers and its our money being spent. We have the right to complain when our stuff isn’t right. Today I ordered 3 boxes of Cheez it from food bazaar and one of the boxes was all dented in one corner and it looks like a mouse was eating on the box. And they said I’m not entitled to a refund.. this is crazyyyyyyy. I will have my entire family and friends stop dealing with uber .
I checked my bank balance last night and saw 4 transactions from Uber Eats which deducted $44 four times from my Debit card, a total of $176 Australian, on the same day and I had no dealings with Uber Eats, and never heard of them until last night. How they got my bank details is a mystery to me but I had my Debit card cancelled, and the bank is looking into this fraud and hopefully I will get reimbursed. I was lucky to only lose $176, my pension goes into the bank in 2 days time, had I not picked this scam up I could have lost my whole pension payment.
I just hit with something of a scam from a driver. I ordered my food and the driver is on their way to pick it up but is circling around and not getting my food though it is ready. Then suddenly my driver changes and the second driver saids someone else picked up my order and support ends up canceling my order. I reorder the food again same thing happens again except this time I went to the restaurant. The the restaurant what’s up and that I am going back and forth with Uber support about this. I paid for my food separately and told them to advise anyone who tries to pick up for me the same and not to give them anything. Just as I get into my car the driver on my order changes and is suddenly right there. But there was no car matching the description on the driver’s account. I continue my back and forth with Uber got all my money refunded and Uber cash for the trouble. Just hope the restaurant isn’t out the money from the first order.
I just encounter a scam very close to the first one listed. The only difference was they were telling me they were giving me a bonus for wasted time while dealing with them, but to do so I needed to add a payment card and they were having me cash out to that card. Honestly I was 1 swipe away from losing $660 dollars. It doesn’t seem like something people would fall for, but the scammer was good.
How do I get a hold of corporate
I just got hacked my account by calling me at my restaurant pretending to be from Uber eats telling my employee that they will send a new tablet and they just need to confirm my emails address. The got into my account and now I can’t access. Needless to say I run to the bank and put a hold on my bank account since they can access to my bank info on my Uber account manager! Not sure if I ever will work with the again, but for sure I will do only check by mail not more which goes my bank info to any of those apps. It’s insane!
How do I report a driver
You can do it in the app. There’s an option to talk to customer service about each specific order.
UberEats is a scam to begin with. They hire people through an app, and then take no responsibilty ifan order is deliverd, or in my case, ice cream is delivered after an hour (well, didn’t look like ice cream when it finally arrived).
UberEats hires drivers. They need to be held accountable for the drivers making the delivery in a timely manner.