Users of the popular transportation service Uber are apparently being targeted by fraudsters in China, it has been reported.
A number of affected individuals from around the globe have taken to social media and online forums to highlight the fact that their Uber accounts are being charged for trips they have not taken.
The online technology news provider Motherboard said that it is possible the trips being made in China at the expense of users in different parts of the world are connected to compromised accounts that have been sold on the dark web.
It is believed that thousands of usernames and passwords of Uber users are being snapped up for as little as $1, although the company has officially denied that any breach of its system has taken place.
An Uber spokesperson said at the time of this revelation that its own investigation “found no evidence of a breach”.
It added: “This is a good opportunity to remind people to use strong and unique usernames and passwords and to avoid reusing the same credentials across multiple sites and services.”
However, an investigation by Motherboard in early 2015 suggested otherwise. The news provider observed how details available on the dark web did in fact belong to Uber users.
“Motherboard received a sample of names and passwords available and verified that at least some of the accounts were active by contacting those users,” it noted.
“The data includes names, usernames, passwords, partial credit card data, and telephone numbers for Uber customers.”
Uber has previously outlined its commitment to boosting security and safety for both drivers and users.
For example, last year it explained that as part of a wide program of reform, it would be “initiating research and development on biometrics and voice verification to build custom tools for enhanced driver screening”.
