#Uber scam

[bryanfour20]

UBER told me to create another account. If I want to be work and I did everything as Uber told me to do

And then the results it's this

It's not fair 😡

[honestsister]

Something that bugs me is when people call Arvio a flirt or compare him to Albert when he's just a Silly Lil Guy. A Goofball. His brain is full of side hustles and a crippling fear of debt.

[vulturevanity]

It's so sad that Cinema Therapy still regularly accepts sponsorship deals from BetterHelp. I feel like as a therapist Jonathan should be more mindful of the quality of the mental health services he recommends to his audience.

[notaplaceofhonour]

I had someone try to do this to me today. I got a fairly high-paying order for just a single can of cat food. As soon as I accepted it, I got a call that caller ID identified as “[DeliveryCompanyRedacted] Order”, but when I picked up the call, the person on the other end claimed they were with support and told me not to pick up the order because the customer put in the wrong address and wanted to cancel, then started asking me for personal information about my account.

They didn’t even manage to get through the whole spiel explaining why they needed that information because I was so annoyed that a) they were calling me when I was trying to do my job rather than just handling it on their end & b) I could barely hear half of what they were saying that I just hung up. I didn’t even think “oh, this might be a phishing scam” until after I talked to actual support through their chat line.

I verified that the order was not in fact being canceled and proceeded with the order. When I was checking out with the order, I hadn’t even mentioned any of this when the cashier told me it was weird that another delivery driver had just come through with the exact same order from the exact same company right before me, and that’s when the suspicion that the call had been part of a scam solidified into “oh yeah this is 100% part of a scam”.

So yeah, PSA! Just be aware if you drive delivery for any of these third-party delivery services, this is a scam that’s going around. Don’t click any links, don’t give out personal information or anything ljnked to your account to customers or support. Support will not ask you for account login or bank information. Stay safe!

[hotniatheron]

those giftcard scams always have me like oh you need $500 in visa giftcards? yeah me too

[kitkatcadillac]

i dont know how to say exactly what i want to say with cold hard precision but as someone in their late 20s ive just been watching the economy eat itself alive so mind numbingly rapidly over the past two decades and im like. dude

[nohaijiachi]

I hate you AI, I hate you sites making deals with souless corporations that think creativity can be replicated by an unthinking machine, I hate you money-hungry investors and ceos, I hate you opt-out models, I hate you tech bros, I hate you having to spend precious free time having to scramble our art in a desperate attempt not to getting stolen from, I hate you minimization of the hard work we put into our craft, I hate ''''machine learning''''' being compared to a very human person putting in the hours to better themselves, I hate you commodification of the very core of human's expression, I hate you scams being helped along by uber plagiarism, I hate you AI, I hate you AI, I hate you AI, I HATE YOU AI

[mostlysignssomeportents]

There’s never just one ant

So there's a great Thai restaurant in my neighborhood called Kiin. Yesterday, I searched for their website to order some takeout. Here's the Google result.

That top result (an ad)? It's fake. It goes to https://kiinthaila.com, which is NOT the website for Kiin.

The *third* result is real: https://kiinthaiburbank.com

Fake site:

Real site:

I got duped. I placed an order with the fake site. The fake site then placed the order - in my name! -  with the real site, having marked up the prices by 15%. Kiin clearly knows they're doing this (presumably by the billing data on the credit card the fakesters use to place the order). They called me within minutes to tell me they'd cancelled the fakesters' order.

I could still come pick it up, but I'd have to pay them, and cancel the payment to the fakesters with Amex. Actually, as it turns out, I have to cancel TWO payments, because the fakesters DOUBLE-charged me.

Here's what that charge looks like on my Amex bill. See that phone number? (415) 639-9034 is the number for Wix, who provides the scammers' website.

How the actual FUCK did these obvious scammers get an Amex merchant account in the name of "KIINTHAILA" by after supplying the phone number for a website hosting company? What is Amex's KYC procedure? Do they even call the phone number?

And why the actual FUCK is Google Ads accepting these scam artists' ads for a business that they already have a knowledge box for?! Google KNOWS what the real KIIN restaurant is, and yet they are accepting payment to put a fake KIIN listing two slots ABOVE the real one.

To be fair to these scammer asshole ripoff creeps who are trying to steal from my local mom-and-pop, single location Thai eatery, they're just following in the shoes of Doordash and Uber Eats, who did the same thing to hundreds (thousands?) of restaurants during lockdown.

Doug Rushkoff says that the ethic of today's "entrepreneur" is to “Go Meta” - don't provide a product or a service, simply find a way to be a predatory squatter on a chokepoint between people who do useful things and people who use those things.

These parasites have turned themselves into landlords of someone else's home, collecting rent on a property they don't own and have no connection to.

There's NEVER just one ant. I guaran-fucking-tee you that these same creeps have 1,000 other fake Wix websites with 1,000 fake Amex merchant accounts for 1,000 REAL businesses, and that Google has sold them ads for every one of them. Amex and Google and Wix should be able to spot these creeps FROM ORBIT. Holy shit do we live in the worst of all possible timelines. We have these monopolist megacorps that spy on and control everything we do, wielding the most arbitrary and high-handed authority.

And yet they do NOT ONE FUCKING THING to prevent these petty scammers from using their infra as force-multipliers to let them steal from every hungry person patronizing every local restaurant.

I mean, what's the point of letting these robber-barons run the entire show if they're not even COMPETENT?

ETA: Dinner was delicious

[elvensorceress]

not quite tuesday tidbit teases

it's probably tuesday somewhere and this just popped in my head and I wanted to share. what do you think? do we want more?

tagging if any of you want to share something 😘 @hippolotamus @eddiebabygirldiaz @messyhairdiaz @rainbow-nerdss @tizniz @spotsandsocks @daffi-990 @monsterrae1 @diazsdimples @watchyourbuck @wh0re-behavi0r @911onabc @chaosandwolves @alliaskisthepossibilityoflove @rogerzsteven @epicbuddieficrecs @bekkachaos @fiona-fififi @wikiangela @exhuastedpigeon @the-likesofus @hoodie-buck @lover-of-mine @mikereads @jesuiscenseedormir @lemonzestywrites 💕

It’s just after midnight and Buck is going to bed. 

He’s been saying this for a couple hours but YouTube had too many AItA videos and Instagram had those gorgeously edited food recipe posts and he doesn’t even want to talk about the doomscrolling of TikTok. But he had a day off and it was supposed to be with Tommy so they could take the weekend and go somewhere fun and romantic, but then Tommy had to work. Buck could’ve gone in with the rest of A shift. But it was nice to have some alone time for himself so he took time for himself. 

His phone goes off with a call five seconds after he’s gotten into bed. It’s a number he doesn’t know. So he could ignore it. Or wait until they’ve left a message. But who would call at this hour for no reason? Or for scamming, telemarketing reasons? 

So Buck answers. 

“Buckley?” The man on the other end says. He sounds vaguely familiar but not enough that Buck came put a name or face with a voice. 

“Uh, yeah? Who is this?” 

“Mehta. Captain Mehta. Of the 133.”

“Oh, hey,” Buck says, automatically friendly and smiling. That makes sense now. “What’s up? Why the— why are you calling?” Why would he call in the middle of the night?

Why does anyone call in the middle of the night.

“Buckley,” he says and it sounds… it sounds… it sounds like…

They have him now. They’ll take care of him. Why don’t we get you cleaned up. He’s in good hands. They’ll rush him to surgery. You don’t have to worry. Let’s get you cleaned up. 

Lets get you cleaned up.

Buck can’t breathe. His whole body is cold. Frozen. 

He tries to get out of bed. He tries, but just slides to the floor beside it. He doesn’t make it any further.

“Buckley, there was a helicopter crash. Your team, our team we went to rescue the pilot. Your, uh, sorry, I don’t know what you call him, but your boyfriend? Life partner? He—”

Oh god. No. No, that’s not. That’s not happening. That is not what is happening right now. This can’t be a, Tommy is dead and I’m letting you know. It can’t be that. It’s not. They were going to—

They were supposed to have a romantic trip together. Wine tasting and some kind of museum Tommy thought Buck would love and maybe a visit to a hot springs up north and they were going to watch the sunset and the sunrise and—

And he can’t be dead. He can’t be.

“He’s alive,” Mehta says. “We’re at Cedars-Sinai. He’s alive, but. It doesn’t look good. He’s in the ICU now. He’s critical.”

Buck pushes himself up. Has to. He has to be there. 

He barely remembers to thank Mehta or even end the call before he switches off his phone and runs out the door. 

~

The drive is a blur. The drive is probably very illegal and he doesn’t know how he doesn’t crash, but he doesn’t have time to wait for an Uber or for anyone else. He runs as fast as possible to the ER lobby, and almost runs directly into Chimney. 

Not almost. Buck crashes into him and almost knocks them both to the floor but that almost actually is an almost because Chim somehow steadies them both. 

He’s pale. Shaken up. His eyes are red. He’s been crying. 

“Chim,” Buck says as broken as he feels. “Chim, where— where is he? What happened? How did this happen? Please tell me he’s okay. He can’t be dying, right? That can’t be happening?”

Chim opens his mouth and grips Buck’s arms tighter, still trying to steady him. “Buck, we— we don’t know yet. It was bad, but he’s tough. You know that. He could be fine.”

Buck lets out a broken whimper and backs away from him. “No. He is fine. He’s fine and this isn’t happening. I just— Chim, I just found him. I can’t lose him already.” 

There’s a flash of something on Chimney’s face but there’s movement around Buck, too. Other people. Bobby, he’s pretty sure. And Hen. They would be here. They would try to comfort him. But they don’t need to because it’s fine. Everything is fine and this isn’t happening. 

It can’t be happening. 

He can’t be dying.

There’s more movement and it’s all blurry, probably filtered through tears, but then everything stops. The world stops. 

Tommy is right in front of him. Whole, alive, real, a little rumpled and there are bloody scratches and bandages on his face and around his arm. But he’s here. He’s fine.

Buck slams into him, throws his arms around him, and sobs as he clutches him. 

“Baby,” Tommy says softly as he hugs Buck tightly, cradling him, comforting him, and Buck can breathe. He’s not frozen. Everything is okay. They were all wrong. Buck knew they were wrong. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry,” Tommy tells him and holds him tighter. 

Buck pulls back just to look at him. “No, it’s okay. You’re okay.” He takes a deep breath and smiles because Tommy is fine. He’s right here and everything is good. Buck touches Tommy’s battered face and caresses him gently. He’s bruised and also pale, and very soggy. It’s been stormy tonight. Another reason why Buck wasn’t all that eager to go out in it. “They told me—  fuck, they scared me. I thought— I thought I lost you. I was so scared. I don’t want to lose you. He told me—Mehta, Captain Mehta— he called and told me there was a helicopter crash and my boyfriend was in the ICU and he’s critical and it didn’t look good, and I can’t— god, I can’t. Tommy, I—”

Tommy’s face isn’t good. It’s pale. Bad. Not smiling. Not relieved. It falls and he can’t even hide the devastation on it. He looks like guilt and death, and his mouth moves but nothing comes out. “Evan,” he finally says, barely says. It’s too quiet, too broken. “Evan…”

No. No, Buck doesn’t like that. He doesn’t want to throw up right now. And he just might. His heart is rabbit speed lightning and his legs don’t exist anymore and there’s an awful blackhole of apocalyptic world-ending destruction swirling and growing in his stomach. 

Someone takes his arm. Someone needs his attention. He’s moved from Tommy’s arms because there is no safety or comfort anymore. There’s no relief. There’s no happily ever after, nothing will ever be okay. 

Buck knows why Mehta said what he said. He knows who isn’t here. He knows who would have come to him and immediately comforted him. 

He knows. 

He knows what this is now. It can’t be that. It can’t. Buck doesn’t know anything.

Hen tells him. She holds his arm and says calmly even if it’s broken. Everything is broken. They’re all broken. “Buck. It’s Eddie.”

No. No, it isn’t. It isn’t that either. Buck really can’t take that. It was bad enough, unimaginable enough the other way. It can’t be this. 

He’s already done this. They did this before. More than once. Forty plus feet of cruel earth and a whirling burst of metal and blood all over him. 

Eddie’s blood was all over him. 

“The helicopter went down and got stuck on the cliffs. He went in so he could pull Tommy out, and we got Tommy out,” Hen tells him, every word a knife stabbing through both of them. All of them. 

“He saved me,” Tommy says, quiet and full of regret. “He saved me and went down with it. They thought it was stable enough. It wasn’t. They got him out after. But…”

Buck collapses to his knees on the floor and holds his head in his own hands as if he can somehow hold himself together when there’s no holding himself together. 

It’s Eddie.

It’s Eddie it’s Eddie it’s Eddie. 

Buck shatters like flimsy glass and sobs in all the pieces that are ripped out of him. What about Chris? What about Abuela? What about Eddie’s parents and sisters and friends and everyone else who loves him?

What about Buck? They can’t be BuckandEddie without Eddie. 

“I need to see him,” Buck suddenly says to the closest person who will listen. “I need to be with him. Please. Please.”

There’s arguing that happens. Bobby yells at someone. Hen, Chim, and Tommy stay around him like a protective guard. Until someone finally agrees. He’s not in surgery, they can’t take him to surgery yet. He’s not stable enough. But he’s on a ventilator, life support. They warn him and Buck doesn’t care. He knows how bad these things can be. He’s lived through several. 

They give him five minutes. 

They’ll have to drag him out with an armed guard if they think Buck will agree to only that. But at least it’s something. 

It’s something. 

Eddie is mostly covered. Blankets, wires, tubes, IV lines, bandages. He’s paler than all of them. Slightly blue-purple, cyanotic. They tell him a few things but Buck can’t hear them. He just wants to be with Eddie. 

Buck sits beside him and rests a shaking hand over Eddie’s hand, under the blankets where it’s trying to be warm. Buck would give anything to keep him warm, and alive. 

Eddie needs to stay alive. He needs to. 

Buck rests his forehead on the side of the bed near their joined hands. He would say something if he had the capacity to form words and sentences. The only thing in his head right now is, don’t leave me, please don’t leave me.

And that’s probably all he can say. All that really matters. 

Don’t leave me, don’t leave me, please, don’t ever leave me.

(read now on AO3)

[ewingstan]

Is there any parahumans character who would have gotten into crypto? Besides Uber and Leet I mean.

Lisa's probably run a few investment scams promising blockchain-backed play-to-earn game development but she prolly wouldn't have touched the actual tech.

I could imagine Rain being weirdly credulous about crypto having non-speculative uses. Being raised in an apocalypse cult might prime you for the whole "this can be an actually usable currency without government backing" pitch. But even that wouldn't be the same as being "into" crypto in the post-boom investor way.

Krouse and Cody both seem like valid options here but both of them had too much going on to cultivate an OpenSeas wallet.

I feel like there's an obvious pick here I'm missing.

[socialjusticeinamerica]

It’s another way for corporations and oligarchs to crush us.

[sunlightmurdock]

Sugar is definitely the daughter of a very respectable man. She's definition of perfect and pure. Helps the local community, does volunteer work, excels academically, she has perfect hair, nails, teeth...etc. on the flip side bradley is this older guy, who dropped out of school to support his family, took over gooses shop when he was old enough, doesn't really care what people think of him, gets into fights and is known for some kind of shady buisness. 100% the type of guy sugars dad would want far away from his daughter.

Sugar is obviously not as innocent and pure as she seems when she gets involved with him. Maybe she met bradley as she was driving on the "wrong side of town" obviously her car had some troubles which resultet in them meeting.

omg we are so fucking on the same page about this!! Mechanic bradley giving off line cook energy where he’s this older guy that really should be a loser on paper, but he’s so fucking charming and witty and good looking that he gets away with it. And he’s not a loser, he’s exactly where he wants to be.

He inherited the shop and lives in the apartment above, he’s got plenty of time to hang out with his buddies — usually at the sports bar down the street. He’s been kicked out of that place more times than he can count, for passing out or fighting, or pissing on the wall outside, but they’re too fond of him to ban him.

He’s walking himself back from a shitty date downtown because he wholeheartedly believes that Uber is a scam and will explain this to anyone who will listen, when he comes across Sugar sitting on the side of the road with her head in her hands and smoke pouring out from under the hood. And you’re right, she is just about pristine. Too pristine to be on this side of town, sitting on the floor.

“Can’t park there.” Bradley’s half-drunk, on the good side of tipsy where he thinks he’s funny but probably isn’t to most people. She looks up at him from her spot on the floor and scowls.

“Funny.”

“Mind if I take a look?” He shrugs, gesturing towards the smoking car.

“Knock yourself out.” She mutters, tired and hoping that he’ll embarrass himself with his lack of knowledge and leave her alone. He walks over, leans through the driver’s side window and pops the hood, then leans over it.

It doesn’t take him long, either, a couple of seconds of looking around and he’s pointing out the issue.

“It’s your coolant pipe. It’s cracked. Made the engine overheat. You just gotta replace it, it’ll be good as new.” He explains coolly, shutting the hood and turning back to look her over again.

“What, you’re an expert or something?”

“Kinda.” He smiles and her mouth practically falls slack as she notices how handsome he is, now that she’s less angry. “Tow guy already on the way?” She nods dumbly at him, though she is far from dumb. “Have him drop it by my shop. I’ll take care of it for ya.”

And well, when she comes to collect it Bradley is sober and has inspected the vehicle thoroughly and is of the opinion that she needs a serious lesson in taking care of her vehicle, which she is a little offended at. He’s brash about it, and maybe seems a little rude at first, but then he takes her out for a beer and she is so out of place in that seedy little sports bar.

They don’t look like they would have much in common, and on the surface, they don’t. But from the second he kisses her against the wall of that sports bar, she’s hooked.

[daffi-990]

Seven(ish) Sentence Sunday ✍️

Tagged by @diazsdimples & @wikiangela. Go check out their snippets and show them some love 💕

I’ve been going back and forth between my Fantasy AU and Rival Firefighters this week and am feeling a lot better about my writing than I was last week, which is refreshing.

Today’s snippet is more than seven sentences and I literally just wrote it so excuse any and all mistakes. It’s from Rival Firefighters 🚒 and oh look .. The Well Incident is making an appearance in this fic 👀

The hospital admit Eddie for the night, no matter how much he grumbles and insists he’s fine, that he just wants to go home and see his son. The nurses don’t budge, and it’s not until Bobby threatens to call Athena and have her handcuff Eddie to the bed that Eddie gives up and resigns himself to his fate. After that Bobby heads out, squeezing Buck on the shoulder as leaves, and then it’s just him and Eddie . They switch on the tv and watch late night infomercials until a nurse comes by an hour later, interrupting their argument over the price of a steam mop to inform Buck that extended visiting hours are over and it’s time for him to leave.

He doesn’t want to go, wants to stay right here in the uncomfortable hospital chair beside Eddie’s bed and watch tv until he falls asleep knowing that Eddie is safe and will be right there beside him when he opens his eyes. He doesn’t want to go home and face the nightmares he knows are waiting for him as soon as he closes his eyes. He can still feel the mud under his gloved hands, digging digging digging.

The nurse comes back 15 minutes later and all but drags Buck out, much to Eddie’s amusement. Buck promises to come back first thing in the morning which earns him a soft smile from Eddie that sets Bucks heart a flutter. The nurse, Kathy, walks Buck to the elevator, casually mentioning that visiting hours don’t officially start until 9, but that she’s on shift until 8:30 and is willing to slip him in earlier if he comes bearing coffee.

Buck hugs her before hoping into the elevator, the door closing on her startled and blushing face. On his way down to the ground floor he orders an Uber, thankfully not having to wait too long before it arrives.

When he gets home he sinks down onto the couch, turning the tv on and switching it to the same channel he and Eddie were watching at the hospital. He closes his eyes and pretends he’s still there, Eddie alive and safe in the hospital bed beside him, grumbling about infomercials and how they’re trying to scam people.

No pressure tagging: @tizniz @hippolotamus @spotsandsocks @puppyboybuckley @chaosandwolves @wikiangela @wildlife4life @watchyourbuck @jeeyuns @jesuisici33 @disasterbuckdiaz @devirnis @missmagooglie @mellaithwen @monsterrae1 @sunshinediaz @spagheddiediaz @shortsighted-owl @exhuastedpigeon @elvensorceress @eddiebabygirldiaz @epicbuddieficrecs @evanbegins @nmcggg @bekkachaos @captain-hen @rainbow-nerdss @rewritetheending @thewolvesof1998 @try-set-me-on-fire @theotherbuckley @lover-of-mine @loserdiaz @ladydorian05 @honestlydarkprincess @homerforsure @hoodie-buck @giddyupbuck @fortheloveofbuddie @fiona-fififi @steadfastsaturnsrings @shitouttabuck @king-buckley @glorious-spoon @athenagranted @alliaskisthepossibilityoflove and anyone else wanting to share something 🥰

[forestshadow-wolf]

GhostSoap famous gambler husbands AU

Ghost who will clear an entire casino once, usually over the course of 3-4 days or up to a week, before leaving and never returning. Never goes to the same house twice. All house masters know of him. Well practically everyone knows of him, he's a legend at the top of the ranks, and if you meet him you only meet him once. And oddly enough he never seems to be far behind nation famous gambler Soap...

Soap who will clean out table after table of a few houses for weeks before he moves on. He rotates houses every few weeks, house masters know him well, he draws in many challengers, business booms for house masters. So he ends up winning just as much as he brings in (he has a public schedule on his socials (to the public Ghost is saop's bodyguard; dresses drastically different and with a different mask when gambling, as opposed to when he's with soap))

The Ghost is just as elusive as his name suggests. He has no socials, speaks to almost nobody except head of table and house master(s), and those he does speak to gets no more that a few words of unimportant forgettable information. While it's said that The Ghost never returns its a lie, he just doesn't return until after soap has started a new cycle of visits for the season. And he never makes himself known, caught only by wispers in the crowd until it reaches the house master.

Soap on the other hand has just about every social media platform you could think of (the big ones anyway) twitter, instagram, tumblr, reddit, ect. (No facebook but there is a page dedicated to him) He's active too. Keeps his location updated to that week's casino(s). Pictures of what he did that weekend, his current hyper fixation, what show or movie he's currently obsessed with. He shares gambling tips for people just starting, but nothing to give away his secrets. The public knows that he has a husband (it's kinda hard to miss the flashy gold ring when he tries to get it in every photo of him) but don't know who it is. They do know that he has a heart of gold and enthusiastically protects his wishes to remain anonymous. Sometimes even going as far as attacking newer fans who try to reveal that information, Soap has had to remind people to be nice to eachother.

It's honestly a scam, they laugh about it at night while in bed sometimes. They think it's a miracle that nobody's caught on yet, or if they have that they haven't leaked it.

Despite having so many riches they live a modest life. Sure it's more than most, a house, food, money to have a much fun as they could possibly want, and a sizable savings. But they do donate a good portion of their winnings, try to help people in need, don't spend on overly frivolous things (excluding their gambling attire because appearances matter in that kind of setting)

John and Simon Riley-Mactavish work in a small, locally known bar, The 1-4-1, co-owned by John Price and his adopted son Kyle Garrick, sat in the middle block of a chain of casinos. It's frequented by solem casino go-ers after a long night of misfortunes or celebrating parties of extreme luck.

Simon Riley-Mactavish works as The 1-4-1's seasoned bartender making drinks, taking orders, charming the excitable patrons eager enough to miss or ignore the silver band that sits politely on his finger. When he sees someone getting harrassed he's quick to ask on a napkin if they'd like an angel shot (with lemon for take them to the back, lime if they need an escort to their car/uber, or straight if it's an emergency and needs immediate intervention). He's also a petty bitch so if it's not an emergency he'll order the harasser the most disgusting drink he can make, on the house.

John Riley-Mactavish is security of The 1-4-1, it's honest work. He's great at de-escalating situations, corrallin the too roudy. He's who is called when an angel shot is ordered. Luckily it's not too often. Usually is using his charm to finesse and guide the too handsy and drunk out of the bar and on their way home. All that being said... he has no tolerance for disrespect and hate, and it's a damned good thing price doesn't mind a little chaos or he'd have been kicked out already. He's got a watchful eye, intentional misuse of pronouns in a malicious way, racist, misogynistic, or homophobic comments is an immediate out. And he's none too gentle when he does it. Aside from the not infrequent need to remove someone he does enjoy his job, most people are respectful, he finds good conversations, gets to hand out at the bar with Simon. Price lets his go where he wants as long as he does his job well, and he does.