Bengaluru auto scam alert: Elderly passenger cheated by driver posing as Uber auto, Reddit post goes viral

A detailed Reddit post warning of a new auto-rickshaw scam in Bengaluru has gone viral, sparking concern over passenger safety — particularly for elderly commuters who rely on app-based ride bookings made by family members.

Shared on the subreddit r/bangalore, the post recounts how a user’s mother was allegedly cheated by an auto driver who impersonated an Uber auto driver, despite not being assigned to the ride on the app. The incident occurred when the user booked an Uber Auto remotely for his mother, who is not tech-savvy and did not have access to the app interface.

According to the post, while the Uber app continued to show the assigned driver as “at pickup” and the trip had not officially started, another auto driver arrived at the location and claimed to be from Uber or Ola. Trusting the claim, the elderly woman got into the auto and shared the OTP, unaware that the ride was not linked to her booking.

The user said he realised something was wrong when the app still showed the ride as inactive even after his mother had begun travelling. Midway through the journey, the driver allegedly admitted that he was not associated with Uber. At the destination, the woman insisted on paying the fare displayed on the app, but the driver reportedly demanded nearly double the amount.

Faced with an uncomfortable and unsafe situation, she paid the higher fare to end the ride.

What has particularly alarmed readers is the claim that the driver appeared fully aware that he was not the assigned driver and deliberately misrepresented himself. “This was not confusion or a mistake,” the user wrote, alleging that the impersonation was intentional and exploitative.

The post has triggered a wave of similar accounts in the comments section, with several users sharing experiences of drivers demanding extra money, misrepresenting bookings, or pressuring passengers — even when rides are booked through official apps. Many pointed out that elderly passengers are especially vulnerable in such situations, as they often depend on verbal assurances rather than app-based verification.

A user wrote, “I have respect for the few decent auto drivers in the city, but there's a special place in hell for the rest of them. So sorry this happened to your parents.”

Another user commented, “Yeah it happened to me once near cubbon park I sat on the auto as i have seen that vehicle no. And the person is different from the app many times. And it never caused any problems with me . But once he refused to enter the otp i got suspicious and stopped the auto right there.”

“Also noticed other thing, registration number in app and auto are different. Sometimes they post number in Uber as a sticker on windshield. I don’t know these guys are doing lot of things behind screen,” the third user wrote.

The Reddit user ended the post with a set of warnings for families booking rides for parents and senior citizens: never enter an auto unless the trip has started in the app, always confirm the driver’s name and vehicle number, and do not rely solely on verbal claims of being from Uber or Ola.