The service didn’t address those specific claims in its response to Edwards, but did say it was “working with law enforcement” to address the fraud. It stressed that its app “wasn’t hacked” and that that the perpetrators hadn’t obtained sensitive member data.

Whatever the cause, the incident is unusual for car services as a whole — it’s not often that a company has to shut down service entirely in a given area, even if temporarily. It also highlights the concerns about internet-driven services in particular, since the added convenience of booking a vehicle online potentially makes it easier for fraudsters to go for joyrides.