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GPS spoofers, auto clickers; scammers are taking Uber-like ride-hailing apps for a ride using a variety of tools

Scammers and cybercriminals have found a new playground where they hunt for their prey: ride-sharing apps. What’s even more scary is the complexity of the tools they use and how easy it is for scammers to access them.

For example, many fake cab drivers use GPS spoofers, auto-clickers, and a bunch of other programs to artificially manipulate driver availability and passengers to pump up their numbers and inflate surge pricing. In another sort of scam, drivers would often use fake profiles to manipulate their ratings and spoof the payments and rewards system.

As ingenious as these systems are, there are specific steps that ride-hailing apps and similar service providers can adopt to curb such scams. That way, they protect their end-users, build a better, more trustworthy relationship with them, and protect their business interests.

We spoke to Gautam Sehgal, Country Head of India & Director of Enterprise Relationships, SHIELD, and Simon Revich, Head of Fraud Prevention, inDrive, on some of the most common scams that users might come across on ride-hailing apps and how we keep ourselves protected. Edited Excerpts:

What are some of the most common kinds of fraud prevalent among ride-hailing players?
In the ride-hailing industry, fraud can manifest in several ways, with location spoofing being one of the most common. Fraudsters often use GPS spoofers to mask their actual location, making it seem like they’re in high-demand areas when they’re not.

This increases their chances of getting more rides and results in longer wait times for legitimate users and lost opportunities for honest drivers.

Paired with drive-passenger collusion, GPS spoofing can escalate into artificial surge pricing. Fraudsters create and control thousands of fake driver and passenger accounts in these cases. They plant drivers in high-demand areas and use fake passenger accounts to create bogus ride requests.

This tricks the platform into detecting a surge in demand, activating surge pricing, and inflating fares. The price hike is unjustified by actual demand, leading to customer frustration and distorting the overall efficiency of the ride-hailing system.

We also see ride request hogging, where fraud rings utilize auto-clickers to accept ride requests more quickly than legitimate drivers can respond.

This monopolizes available rides, making it harder for genuine drivers to earn a fair living. Lastly, promo abuse is quite prevalent. Some passengers exploit offers like “first ride free” by creating multiple fake accounts, allowing them to repeatedly take advantage of these promotions. This undermines the overall integrity and fairness of the system.

How are auto-clickers being used by scammers?
Fraudsters use auto-clickers in ride-hailing to accept ride requests automatically and at high speed and scale. Fraud rings exploit these tools, or modified ride-hailing apps, to rapidly grab ride requests the moment they become available, often much faster than legitimate drivers can respond.

This practice, known as ride request hogging, allows fraudulent drivers to monopolize the available rides, giving them an unfair advantage by securing more passengers. As a result, genuine drivers are left with fewer job opportunities, which limits their earnings and disrupts the platform’s fairness.

This not only harms honest drivers but also undermines the integrity of the ride-hailing ecosystem.

We see a constant tussle between e-commerce or quick-commerce delivery partners and end customers. Is there an application for this technology in e-commerce?
SHIELD’s device-first fraud intelligence is highly applicable in the e-commerce and quick-commerce sectors. E-commerce platforms face many fraud challenges, including referral and promo abuse.

Our technology addresses these issues by proactively detecting fraud at its source—the device itself. For example, fraudsters often create multiple fake accounts to exploit referral programs or claim promotions for genuine customers.

SHIELD’s device-first approach accurately detects and prevents multi-accounting, stopping repeated signups and fake redemptions before they can occur.

Similarly, our technology uncovers tools like emulators, autoclickers, and even cloned apps commonly used for large-scale promo fraud. Beyond traditional forms of fraud, SHIELD is also crucial for protecting the integrity of the last-mile delivery process.

SHIELD also protects third-party logistics (3PL) partners—essential players in the quick-commerce and e-commerce ecosystems.

Fraudulent delivery riders can compromise the efficiency and trust of these networks, resulting in better service and customer trust. Our technology’s ability to prevent fraud, even at the last mile, is critical for platforms looking to secure growth while ensuring their customers and delivery partners are protected from fraudulent activities.

What is SHIELD’s Global Intelligence Network? How does it stop ride-hailing service providers from scamming people?
Our Global Intelligence Network is a powerful, proactive aspect of our AI technology that empowers our partners to avoid fraud threats, even those they’ve never encountered.

At its core, the network constantly gathers and analyzes data from more than 7 billion devices and 1 billion user accounts worldwide.

This vast amount of data enables SHIELD to identify emerging fraud patterns, including those unique to ride-hailing platforms. The Global Intelligence Network’s real-time worldwide reach makes it especially effective.

Fraud patterns don’t exist in isolation—what happens in one part of the world can quickly spread to another. SHIELD’s network keeps track of every type of fraud we’ve encountered, from the most common tactics to new, sophisticated methods that fraudsters develop.

By syncing attack patterns across the globe, SHIELD ensures that ride-hailing platforms and all platforms are protected from known threats and new fraud tactics that might not have surfaced on their platforms yet.

Does inDrive & SHIELD also take into account that there have been instances where drivers are the ones getting scams? How do you plan to protect drivers?
Yes, both inDrive and SHIELD recognize the unfairness that drivers face, including scams that target them directly, such as fake ride requests and payment fraud. Our partnership is dedicated to helping challenge this injustice and level the playing field.

As previously mentioned, fraudulent behavior, such as fake ride requests, location spoofing, and promo abuse, can also unfairly affect drivers. SHIELD is designed to protect businesses against these threats by identifying and blocking suspicious accounts and activities in real-time.

By stopping fraud at the root, we can return drivers the trust and fairness they deserve so that they can concentrate on delivering excellent service. Our protective measures create a safer, more trustworthy environment for inDrive’s drivers and passengers, ensuring the integrity of every transaction and reinforcing the belief that hard work will be appreciated and valued.

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