A new trend of “ghost drivers” has emerged on Uber in China, spooking people into paying for rides they didn’t take.
The money-making scam, reports of which are starting to go viral on social media in China, is disturbing people because the drivers’ pictures show up appearing like Chinese vampires or looking skewed and distorted.
The depiction of vampires in Chinese mythology, as translated onto the big screen, typically features pale skin, rings around the eyes and darkened lips – as opposed to the typical Western image of fangs dripping with blood.
The Chinese depiction is also seen in other East Asian cultures, such as Korean:
People may think they’re seeing the undead, but the only ghosting that’s happening is the drivers, in what appears to be a fairly straightforward scam. Chinese media is reporting people are complaining of drivers accepting rides but not showing up, while still being billed for it later.
In some cases, drivers accept rides but never show up, resulting in riders having to cancel the booking and pay Uber’s cancellation fee, which goes to the driver.
An Uber rep in China reportedly told The Paper that affected users can lodge complaints under the Uber app’s support button, after which a refund will be credited to them.
If Chinese regulators agree, Uber’s business in China will soon be owned by its far larger domestic competitor, Didi Chuxing. Together, Uber and Didi command some 90 percent of the ride-hailing market in China.
We’ve reached out to Uber for more on the “ghost drivers.”
Read also: Uber rival Grab partners with driverless car firm nuTonomy in Singapore
AFP, Reuters
This article first appeared on Mashable.com.
