Is Your Uber Driver on the Way Back to Your House to Burgle It?
It's not really something we considered. That was until we read the story of Jackie Gordon Wilson, a San Francisco Uber driver who picked up a couple passengers at their home in April, dropped them off at the airport, then immediately returned to the couple's home to break in.
Lucky for the couple, according to the San Francisco Chronicle, "he was scared off by the house alarm, he left and burglarized a home less than half a mile away." That doesn't seem so lucky for the neighbors, but rest assured -- Jackie Gordon Wilson was brought to justice.
Enjoy Your Flight!
As it turns out, the neighbors had a home surveillance system of their own, which captured Wilson entering and ransacking their home. They shared the video on a community app, and other users identified Wilson as an Uber driver they'd seen lurking around his customer's home earlier. Police were then able to track down Wilson at his home, where he was found wearing the same clothes from the surveillance footage. Officers also found items taken from the residences, along with other stolen property; meaning this might not have been Wilson's first burglary attempt.
All-in-all, it may be nice to see the latest in tech, a community coming together, and good old-fashioned police work catch a criminal. But the incident also highlights the risks we run when Uber drivers know where we live.
This Part is Not as Funny
The Daily Beast looked at several incidents during which Uber and Lyft drivers harassed female customers, and once incident was particularly chilling:
The issue flooded back into the spotlight last week after a viral Twitter thread from actress and comedian Anna Gillcrist. The Los Angeles performer described how her driver had pestered her for personal information—including her relationship status—on the way back from a bachelor party last weekend. When the driver slowed down outside her house to ask if her boyfriend was home, Gillcrist said, she was forced to pry open the lock and run out of the car. Lyft responded by offering a $5 credit toward her ride.
Not exactly a reassuring response from the ridesharing company. "Your driver put me in a scenario in which I thought I might be kidnapped, raped, or even killed," Gillcrist wrote. "That pathetic attempt to mask a serious issue is insulting to me and women everywhere who have to deal with this shit on a regular basis."
Just something to consider when telling Uber and Lyft drivers your pickup and drop-off points.
Related Resources:
- Uber Driver Drops Passengers at Airport, Then Tries to Burglarize Their Home, Police Say (Los Angeles Times)
- Is Your Uber Driver Sober? (FindLaw's Legal Grounds)
- Judge Orders Uber to Manipulate Google Search Results (FindLaw's Legal Grounds)
- Man Ubered to Cheat on Wife, Sues Uber for His Divorce (FindLaw's Legal Grounds)