Uber’s tentative and troublesome entry into the Chinese market has been compounded by news that Hacked Uber Accounts of Uber Riders are being used to carry out rides in China.
Fraudulent use of hacked accounts adds to the regulatory issues as well as Taxi Trade opposition Uber is facing in China. Recently Uber had to issue formal warning to its drivers in China to not engage in any counter demonstrations against Taxi drivers and to never initiate disruption or unrest regardless of provocation.
The hacked accounts are being used by unscrupulous individuals to carry out fraud on the Uber App. It’s understood that a large number of trips are being carried out in China using these hacked account details by fraudsters which is raising questions regarding the integrity of Uber’s security, according to Mother Board.
One Twitter user Kirby Bittner’s tweeted:
Another Uber Rider, Alison Dillon, claimed on Wednesday that her account was also hacked and sent out a plea for help to Uber over Twitter:
Disgruntled rider, Jess, also Tweeted that her account had been hacked and displayed frustration at not receiving a follow-up response from Uber:
Uber is a favourite target of hackers seeking to make a quick profit from the dark web. Previously some 500,000 Uber Accounts were hacked with them appearing on the dark web for as little as £10 each.
It is still not clear if the accounts being used in China are the same accounts which were previously sold on the dark web or whether this is altogether a new security breach and theft. If it is, it is surely going to question the security measures Uber has in place and give rise to serious doubt regarding Uber’s ability to protect its riders from hackers in the future.
Uber has yet to comment but be sure that if they do or if new information comes to light, we will return to the story for an update.
This is not the first time when customers are tweeting about their Uber accounts being hacked. In the past, Uber accounts of US based customers were repotedly hacked. The users were complaining on Twitter that someone accessed their accounts and not only booked rides but also paid for them without their knowledge. Most of the bookings were made for the destinations outside the United States.
Mother Board