Fake Uber Driver Allegedly Assaults Ashville Woman: How To Identify Legitimate Drivers

Ashville Police said Thursday they have been investigating a sexual assault case in North Carolina, which they believe involved a man who pretended to be an Uber driver and tried to rape a woman, according to the ABC News affiliate WLOS.

Police authorities said that the alleged incident took place on July 24 and they described the suspect as a Hispanic man driving a white newer model sedan in his 30s with a goatee and who speaks Spanish and broken English.

"This is the first report of an instance like this that we have right now," police spokesperson Christina Hallingse said Tuesday, WLOS reported.

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The recent incident surprised longtime Uber driver Cameron Gardin, who has been driving with the ride-sharing service for almost five years, mostly in New York, WLOS reported.

"I have a hard time trying to put or grasp that concept," Gardin said. He urged people who call an Uber vehicle to check for the large "U" sticker, which is required to be placed prominently on each Uber car.

Ashville Police Department requested anyone with any kind of information regarding the alleged assault to contact the department at (828) 252-1110. They are also using this tragic incident to remind and help people about safety while using a ride-sharing service.

The authorities listed some tips to safely use these ride-sharing services, according to their Facebook post regarding the incident, which include checking the vehicle information carefully before getting into your ride, sharing your ride with friends or family in real time as all apps provide this facility for safety and probably riding in the rear of the vehicle in order to keep some distance from the driver as caution for potentially unforeseen circumstances.

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Uber lists down steps on its official website and its app for you to figure out if the trips you are taking and their drivers are legitimate or not.

Uber encourages their riders to first check every detail that is sent to them on their apps about the vehicle and the driver before getting into the car.

The "How to identify a driver and vehicle" section in the Uber app and their official website explain how to check if your vehicle and driver are legitimate before you actually start the ride.

"Tap the bar that includes the driver’s name, photo, and vehicle. This displays a photo of your driver along with the vehicle's make, model, and license plate number. When you see your driver's vehicle at your pickup location, confirm that the license plate number displayed in your app matches the actual vehicle. Drivers will often ask your name before starting the trip," the Uber app and its website explain.

Uber lets you ensure if the trips are legitimate and recognize fraudulent drivers.

"Trips should NOT be pre-arranged between Riders and Drivers. In certain circumstances, this can be considered collusion. Collusion is an agreement between two or more people to limit open competition by deceiving, misleading, or defrauding others (in this case Uber) to obtain an objective forbidden by law typically by defrauding or gaining an unfair market advantage," Uber explains on its website.

Uber specifically mentions that all legitimate payments are made through their app and if a driver messages outside the Uber platform and asks to arrange for a trip then that would be your sign to suspect something might be wrong. Uber should be informed so that they can take the required actions.