Fake Uber Driver: Authorities Urge Other Victims To Emerge In Peeping Tom Case

Bakersfield, California police called on the other victims of a California man arrested last week on multiple charges including attempted sexual battery and burglary. The 48-year-old suspect has been posing as a ride-sharing driver to lure women into his car.

According to CNN, suspect Nassef Ragheb was already linked to previous investigations over the past three years, with the latest being a prowling incident in the Bakersfield area. Following his arrest, authorities are encouraging other victims to come forward.

Aside from at least one occasion where Ragheb was reported to have forcibly kissed a woman while driving her home, the suspect was also reported to be peeping into the windows of another victim.

Bakersfield Police also took to social media to urge other supposed victims of Ragheb to get in touch with the authorities should they have experienced similar incidents or attacks from the suspect.

Ragheb’s move of posing as a Lyft or Uber driver was reportedly for the purpose of getting drunk women into his car. ABC News reported that authorities revealed Ragheb waited drunk women outside bars and pretended to be a ride-share driver so he can assault the victims.

In another incident, a victim reported the suspect to have entered her house through an unlocked door, adding another investigation into the list of existing probes on Ragheb and his stalking ways.

Ragheb is said to have used a gray 2018 Toyota Corolla in the incidents involving his fake ride-sharing driver days. It is unclear whether the suspect has an attorney as investigations are still underway.

This is not the first time an Uber poser was caught in the act. Last year, several reports emerged, suggesting that the issue on drivers using fake names and purchasing bogus names on the internet was also present in California, Texas, and other American states.

The instances of unauthorized use of ride-sharing giant Uber’s name saw multiple reports in London, pushing the British city’s regulators to refuse the company’s application for a license renewal.

However, cases have been reported in San Francisco, Massachusetts, and Houston regarding some unauthorized drivers using Uber as a front, CNET reported.

Industry experts noted that the company can do more to prevent instances of posers using the brand to commit crimes or take advantage of the opportunity that other authorized Uber drivers should be enjoying.