A Waymo goes way wrong, Uber tweaks its teens, and feds pounce on “screwber”. LegalRideshare breaks it down.

A robotaxi got a little confused. AZ Family reported:

In a video now going viral on TikTok, two East Valley women caught a self-driving Waymo headed toward them going the wrong way down the street.

The incident happened last week near Rural Road and Apache Boulevard in Tempe — a busy spot, right near the Arizona State campus.

At first, the women thought the Waymo looking confused was funny but then realized the situation was serious. Recent ASU grads Aiselyn Anaya-Hall and Emmie Wuest say they thought they might get into a crash with a Waymo.

“Oh look, a Waymo. Oh look, it's crossing the street. And then oh look, it is pulling into the wrong way,” said Wuest, who was driving her own car when the two witnessed the incident.

The two say they saw a man in the passenger seat of the Waymo car heading into oncoming traffic.

“He couldn't do anything. He just kinda put his hands up. You can't really see it in the video,” said Hall, who took the viral video.

Uber tweaks its teens. Verge reported:

Last year, Uber launched teen accounts in two dozen cities, in which parents and guardians can create accounts for minors aged 13–17. Since then, the list has grown to over 250 cities in all 50 states. Uber says the latest update is in response to feedback from teen users and their families.

Parents and guardians can now hail a ride for their teenager from their own accounts. Previously, rides could only be hailed from the teen customers' accounts. The ride will feature all the same safety features that are available to teens who book their own trips, including notifications when the teenager has started the ride and real-time tracking of the vehicle.

Feds have charged two people in scheme to swindle Uber riders and drivers. AM NY reported:

Federal prosecutors in New York charged two men with orchestrating a long-running scheme to pocket phony “surge charge” fees and defraud Uber, its drivers, and its customers, in part by using an app called “Screwber.”

The FBI arrested Eliahou Paldiel, 52, of Queens, and Carlos Arturo Suarez Palacios, 54, of Brick Township, NJ. Both appeared in Brooklyn Federal Court on Aug. 28 for arraignment on charges of wire fraud and money laundering conspiracies that could land each of them in jail for 40 years.

The pair are accused of selling hacked smartphones pre-installed with the “Screwber” app to 800 separate Uber drivers, which allowed them to learn a customer's destination and fare ahead of accepting a ride, and thus only accept the most lucrative of fares. The pair sold Screwber for a $600 one-time fee plus a $300 monthly subscription.

Separately, an app called “Fake GPS” allowed the drivers to “spoof” their location, allowing them to accept rides experiencing surge pricing ahead of closer drivers. The app also enabled drivers to pretend they were in an airport ride-hail queue before they had actually arrived and skip the virtual line.

LegalRideshare is the first law firm in the United States to focus exclusively on Uber®, Lyft®, gig workers, delivery and e-scooter accidents and injuries. Consultations are always free.