Jeffrey Caplan
As three young ladies rode in the backseat of their Uber in New York City, the gal seated in the middle appeared to be looking around at everything but the driver’s tip jar perched atop the middle console.
Videos by Rare
But then it seemed she had a plan all along, as her eyes suddenly darted down in the direction of the clear container of cash. As she eyed the bills, she flashed a brief, mischievous smile directly into the dash cam that was recording her and her pals, which raises the question of whether she knew she was being recorded.
And when the car stopped at their destination, the woman dipped her left hand into the jar, grabbed the wad of cash and quickly made her escape from the vehicle before the driver knew what happened. As the young thief made her move for the money, the driver had his head turned toward his window and had no idea that his tips were likely about to be used to buy a round of drinks. Unfortunately for the thief, the entire incident was captured on camera.
The driver then seemed to realize that something fishy had just transpired. He quickly glanced at his empty tip jar and swung his head around to look out the window, only to see that the young women were long gone.
Until recently, tipping Uber drivers was not expected, as riders pay through their smartphone accounts. However, the company has clarified that cash tips are allowed.
The driver told the Daily Mail that Uber wasn’t too helpful at first when he emailed them about the incident, which happened in August 2017.
“We understand your frustration with this experience. We’ve attempted to contact the rider by phone and email, but haven’t been able to resolve this issue,” Uber replied to him. “The rider responded to us and advised us that she didn’t steal your cash from the tip jar. If you believe the rider has your cash as captured from your dash cam and is refusing to return it, you may want to initiate a formal investigation via the police.”
The driver said he was too busy with work to spend time contacting law enforcement after the video caught the woman red-handed stealing his cash.
However, Uber has taken action since the incident, telling the Daily Mail that they deactivated the account of the young woman, rendering her unable to use the ride-sharing service.
“What’s been shown has no place on our app, and the rider’s access to the app has been removed,” an Uber spokesman said.
This post was originally published on November 7, 2017.
