lauren@vortex.com
Date: Mon, 13 Nov 2017 17:35:42 -0800
https://qz.com/1127853/uber-drivers-in-lagos-nigeria-use-fake-lockito-app-to-boost-fares/
In some cases, inflated trips can cost riders more than double the rate
they should be paying. "It's more like a parasite," says Mohammed, a
driver for both Uber and Taxify in Lagos. "It sets the false GPS movement
while allowing the phone also to keep track of its actual movement. The
Uber app can't tell the difference between both so it just calculates
both." When a driver uses Lockito for an Uber trip he or she can have the
fake GPS running (and calculating a fake fare) from the pickup point to
the drop off location, before the passenger has even got into the
car. When the real trip starts, the real GPS starts running and
calculating the actual fare. But at the end of the journey the fares from
both trips (real and fake) are tallied up as one fare which the
unsuspecting rider pays.