Uber passengers scammed out of thousands – suspected scheme behind Arlanda trips

Several Uber customers report being tricked into taking expensive unlicensed taxis after their ordered Uber vehicles, for unclear reasons, never showed up. An investigation points to a recurring pattern where stressed travelers heading to Arlanda end up paying several times the normal fare when the ride suddenly goes on taxi meter instead of the agreed fixed price.

Multiple travelers describe the same method. An Uber ride is booked, often well in advance for an early morning departure to Arlanda. The driver accepts the trip, but when it’s time for pick-up, the car takes strange detours or waits nearby without making contact. The pick-up time keeps getting postponed.

Meanwhile, another taxi appears at the pick-up spot and waits. When the traveler, under pressure from the risk of missing their flight, finally gives up and gets into the waiting car, they are met with an unpleasant surprise. The journey is charged by the meter instead of the promised fixed price, often ending up costing between 2,500 and 3,000 kronor instead of the promised 700–800 kronor.

“I felt so stupid afterward. I thought: how could I fall for this?” says one of the victims to Fokus, which has brought attention to the phenomenon.

A relative of one scammed customer is quoted by the newspaper with the rhetorical question: “You do realize that was a setup?”

Suspected collusion

Fokus has identified several similar cases and points to circumstances raising suspicions of coordination between Uber drivers who fail to carry out rides and the independent drivers who show up instead. Times, methods, and course of events recur in multiple independent accounts.

The newspaper also reports that the drivers in at least two of the cases share a surname of Eritrean origin and both have previous entries in the criminal records. Why, despite this background, they have retained their taxi licenses and jobs is unclear.

Uber does not respond

Fokus has contacted Uber’s management with questions about whether the company is aware of the suspected method, how common it is, and what actions are taken against drivers who accept rides without completing them. According to the newspaper, Uber has not responded to any inquiries.

The investigation also shows that several travelers describe almost identical courses of events, raising questions about whether this is a systematic scheme targeting stressed air travelers.