It may sound crazy to most people, but there is such a thing as fake Uber and Lyft drivers. If you follow the news, then surely you have heard all the stories about fake Uber and Lyft drivers rapping and kidnapping people.

The one problem drivers seem to come across the most are people seeing their Uber or Lyft stickers on their cars and waving them down thinking they are their driver. When they are going to pick up another person or aren’t even online. At night it even gets worse outside the bars with random people walking up to a driver’s car asking if we are their Uber or Lyft.

Then, you will have the people who will offer a driver cash for the ride because they are tired of waiting for their Uber or Lyft to show up when it’s the busiest time of the night. To us that is the worst thing you could do is offer someone sitting outside a bar cash to take you home. For that’s how people pretending to be drivers will get you.

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Here are some ways you can avoid becoming a victim of a fake Uber and Lyft

1. Before you get in the car, use the Uber/Lyft app to check the license plate, make and model of car. Make sure it matches the actual car.
2. Check to make sure the person behind the wheel looks like your driver’s photo in the app.
3. Ask the driver what their name is, then let the driver ask you, your name. (Most drivers will ask you for your name, and not tell you the name of whom they are there to pick up. This practice helps with not picking up the wrong passenger.
4. If you’re traveling alone, both Uber and Lyft encourages you to ride in the back seat instead of the front. That way, in an emergency, you can exit on either side of the car. They say this also gives both you and your driver more personal space.
5. Both companies also suggest that you share trip details through their app with a friend or family.