July 16th, 2024

She Made $10/ Month Defrauding Apps Like Uber

Priscila Barbosa, dubbed the Queen of the Rideshare Mafia, built a lucrative business defrauding Uber and Lyft. Starting as an undocumented immigrant, she overcame challenges to earn $10,000 monthly, exposing gig economy vulnerabilities.

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She Made $10/ Month Defrauding Apps Like Uber

Priscila Barbosa, known as the Queen of the Rideshare Mafia, arrived in the US with little and built a business empire by defrauding apps like Uber and Lyft. Starting as a struggling immigrant, she found a way to make money driving for these platforms without the required documentation. Despite facing challenges like being stranded at JFK Airport with minimal funds, she managed to establish herself in the gig economy, earning up to $10,000 a month. Barbosa's story reflects the vulnerabilities and loopholes in the gig economy, where individuals like her exploit the system to make a living. Her journey from desperation to success, while bending the rules, sheds light on the complexities immigrants face in pursuing opportunities in a new country. Despite the risks and uncertainties involved in her activities, Barbosa's determination and resourcefulness propelled her to navigate the challenges and carve out a place for herself in the competitive landscape of ridesharing services.

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By @Jtsummers - 6 months
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40969952

Also, $10k/month which is a lot more interesting than $10/month.

By @rationably - 6 months
> she kitted out her home PC with a terabyte of memory and an Nvidia processor so she could play Counter-Strike and World of Warcraft.

I wonder if anyone bothered to proofread the article.

By @josefritzishere - 6 months
Maybe not a popular take but This is kind of a victimless crime. They mishandled private data but so did Experian (for example) and she never had a breach! On all the other charges I'd argue the tech companies poor security processes were by design because it generated more revenue.