Contact Admin. February 22, pm Updated February 22, pm. A woman sparked mass panic among Uber users after claiming in a viral Facebook post that she was nearly kidnapped by a sex trafficker after getting in the wrong car. She hopped in the ride-share and had no idea anything was amiss as they drove off.
Same car, female driver. Hurley then claimed her real Uber driver, Cristin Cinquino, told her to stay on the phone and get out of the car immediately. Always, always check your Uber. The terrifying ordeal seemed to be backed up by a Facebook post made by Cinquino, which has since been deleted. The post starts with her explaining that she received the booking from Hurley but when she arrived at the meetup point she was nowhere to be seen.
At the end of her post, Cinquino said that she believed the other woman was watching her when she got the booking and purposefully picked the passenger up before she could. After the story had already been shared thousands of times the local police came out with a slightly different version of events. Tampa police announced on Wednesday that the incident was reported to them and they discovered that it was nothing more than a misunderstanding, according to Tampa Bay Times.
Authorities claim the woman who picked Hurley up actually was an Uber driver but had picked up the wrong passenger. The driver spoke Spanish but had little understanding of English, leading to a miscommunication between herself and Hurley. Police took the opportunity to remind ride-share users to always double check that they are getting in the right car. The Uber app provides the license plate and model of car, the name of the driver and their photo.
Passengers are urged to ask the Uber driver who they are picking up before getting in the car to ensure it is the correct vehicle. Read Next. Two endangered Florida panthers found dead days apart.
