Police: Ride-Hailing Scam Targeting Customers In The South Loop
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Two customers of ride-hailing services fell victim to a scam and had their money stolen in two separate incidents within the last month in the South Loop.
In both incidents, the driver of the ride-hailing service picked up the customer in the same type of vehicle the customer had requested through their cellphone app, such as Uber or Lyft, according to a community alert from Chicago Police.
The driver took the customer to their destination, but then said the transaction did not process and told the customer to manually enter their debit or credit card information, police said. The driver then asked for the customer's PIN number.
Immediately after the trip, the driver headed straight to an ATM or currency exchange and withdrew cash, police said.
The most recent scam happened about 2:10 a.m. Oct. 18 in the 800 block of South Wabash, while the other incident occurred at 11:22 p.m. Sept. 29 in the 2000 block of South Michigan, police said.
The driver is described as a black man, thought to be between 35 and 39 years old, police said.
Anyone with information on the scam is asked to contact Area Central detectives at (312) 747-8384.
(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2016. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)