Have you ever used a ridesharing app on your smartphone? One of the most common is Uber and it seems to be a very convenient way to get from here to there. After all, you just push a few buttons, make sure your GPS is turned on and before you know it, you have somebody driving to your location to pick you up. That being said, caution is also needed when you deal with any one of these services.
Perhaps it was best described by one person when they said that it is essentially like getting picked up by a stranger when you are hitchhiking. There are so many people out there who wish to do us harm and they have easy access to do so if they become a new Uber driver. You can see it happen easily when you look at what happened to these Uber customers.
The person was picked up by Uber and the driver took them to the airport and dropped them off. After doing so, he turned around and went back to their house to burglarize it. They could see him on a security camera and one alarm on off, he was scared away.
It happened in San Mateo, California and the police said that the passengers had been staying at an Airbnb. The driver, Jackie Gordon Wilson dropped them off at the San Francisco International Airport and then went back to the house to rob it.
Although he was frightened off by the alarm, he wasn’t deterred from continuing what he wanted to do. He just went into a different home in broad daylight and robbed it. His actions were also caught on their doorbell camera and they took it to the local news, even though they wanted to remain anonymous.
“He tore apart the whole house, tossed everything. Every piece of furniture moved. He opened my safe.”
“Family heirlooms that I’m really, really hoping I can get back. . .They’re from my grandmother and go back all the way to the Holocaust. So, if that’s lost…To him that was just something for him to just pawn off. To me, that was a memory of my grandmother.”
Footage was shared online and that is when the Airbnb owner saw what was happening. The Uber driver was recognized and he was arrested.
The homeowners want people to know how dangerous it is if you use a ride sharing service. It may be convenient and in many cases, the driver is the victim but there are far too many who are out there with unscrupulous principles.
You can pay attention to the safety tips and they do help but it has nothing to do with ensuring that the drivers are well vetted. The companies are technology firms and they built those apps, which work well but they don’t necessarily check out the drivers.
You never know what and Cooper drivers for you to do after they drop you off. For that matter, you don’t even know what they will do while you are in the car! Be sensible out there.