LETTER | Enlist taxi passengers to fight fraud

LETTER | Malaysians know no bounds when it comes to ingenuity in beating systems put in place. For example, over the past decades, runners continue to thrive at Road Transport Department counters and Puspakom, which operate computerised vehicle inspection centres nationwide.

Now, even hi-tech is not spared. Grab has confirmed that some of its e-hailing drivers are using tools to hijack lucrative trips away from those originally assigned by computers. Initially, victims that have lost trips assumed passengers had cancelled the bookings.

Passengers were automatically notified on the change of car and driver through the app and did not suspect anything amiss. Grab has recently assured its drivers and customers that it is making efforts to prevent hacking and keeping its platform safe.

A Grab spokesman disclosed the firm has invested heavily in building advanced anti-fraud technology to proactively detect and prevent such activities and to keep its platform safe and secure, adding the fight against fraud is never-ending and will continue to develop technology powered by machine learning with dedicated data scientists focused on anti-fraud efforts.

However, it is incumbent on Grab to protect the personal data of its customers and do its utmost to prevent more from being stolen. This could easily be done by enlisting passengers to report on any suspicious activities they noticed in the app and rewarding them generously with Grab points.

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