An Uber Driver recorded his interaction with a "Karen" who demanded he tell her her name first, which is a common scam for folks looking for free rides.

Source: YouTube | @Dustin is Driving

Using rideshare services like Uber and Lyft requires certain safety protocols. There are several horror stories of 1099'ed employees driving for popular taxi applications stalking/assaulting/harassing customers and there are even instances of people pretending to be Uber drivers and picking up customers waiting for a ride that they called, which is a chilling thought.

But safety concerns also apply to drivers from unruly or untrustworthy customers as well. Like a Miami doctor who went on a drunken rampage against an Uber driver, attacking him and destroying his vehicle while insulting him the entire time.

And just from a monetary perspective, there are certain scams that passengers try to play on drivers in an attempt to get a free ride, which could have financial implications for the driver, or even get them in trouble with the app should they pick up the wrong person and the intended customer ended up shilling out for a ride that never showed up.

Source: YouTube | @Dustin is Driving

That's what appears to happen in this video uploaded to the Dustin is Driving YouTube account, which is titled, "Karens Gets Mad When Uber Driver Does NOT Say Her Name."

You might be wondering to yourself, well what's the big deal? Why won't the Uber Driver say her name? There are a few reasons for this.

An Uber driver who scams. He pretended to have waited to pick up a client, which he did not do. His name is a David, an Uber driver with the following registrations: FL84CCGP a blue Toyota Corolla. Please be careful pic.twitter.com/sovJTPGQFm

— Zweli (@iYaneZwel) August 9, 2021 Source: Twitter | iYaneZwel

If I'm waiting for my Uber, for my own safety I can ask the driver to tell me their name so I can check and make sure it matches whoever I booked on the application and I'm not being picked up by someone looking to recreate that final chilling scene in Jeepers Creepers.

This is the Uber driver that sent the fake puke pictures trying to scam me out of $150.
His name is Jacob he's in LA and drives a Kia license #7VND796.
He is a cunt. Don't be like Jacob. pic.twitter.com/xQeHaM4Ows

— eliminate (@eliminatemusic) December 2, 2017 Source: Twitter | @eliminatemusic

On the flip side for their own safety, they're going to want to make sure that the person who booked the ride is the one actually getting inside the car and they're not picking up some weirdo themselves or a person who is trying to get a free ride somewhere.

just want to add for the Uber thing, that's the hook for a pretty common ride scam; try instead what they recommend which is:

"Hi is this [driver's name]?"

"Yes, and your name is [passenger name]?"

"Yes, please take me to my destination."/"what the hell no. *pepper spray*"

— 🌅 Dawn - 2% (@Latedawn_) April 19, 2021 Source: Twitter | @Latedawn

Sure, you generally put the final destination of wherever you're headed, so you may be asking yourself, well, why in the world would anyone get into a car that could be headed in a completely different direction than wherever they want to go to?

But lol @ my Uber driver thinking my name was a scam cuz he didn’t think it was a real name 🥴.

— 🧚🏾 (@comfyhearts) February 26, 2022 Source: Twitter | @comfyhearts

What'll often happen in these instances is if an Uber Driver ends up picking someone who is posing as the original purchaser of the ride, they may ask to have the ride rerouted to a different location. Those requests are usually made in the app themselves, but it's much better to just avoid that situation entirely than having to stop a car and kick someone out of your vehicle while you're already driving.

Not really because that's the way the scam works, I say the riders name, the person says yes and when they get in the car they say they've changed their mind to change address and they've just stole your Uber. Sticking you with the fare. You report, Uber takes fare from driver.

— Awwcool (@Awwcool1) January 12, 2020 Source: Twitter | @Awwcool1

In Dustin's clip, we can see the woman in question becoming irate with the fact that he won't say her name first, because then she could just lie and say that is her name (securing the free ride). While there were some commenters who thought that his attitude and the way he handled the entire situation could've been improved upon, others also expressed that they understood where he was coming from.

Source: YouTube | @Dustin is Driving

Some also theorized that perhaps the woman in question wasn't exactly trying to score herself a free ride, but rather was a "Karen" who got into a petty argument with the driver and just wanted him to do what she said. In any event, it seems like he saved himself the trouble of having to spend time in the car with the individual.

Do you think the Uber driver acted accordingly?

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