Man threatens woman he met driving Uber, then sexually assaults her, Florida cops say
A man is accused of pretending to be a Cash App employee to sexually assault an international student he met while driving for Uber, Florida deputies said.
A 23-year-old man in Tampa was driving for the rideshare service Uber on Aug. 17 when an international student studying at a local university got into his car for a ride, according to an Oct. 3 release from the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office.
During the ride, the driver gave the woman his phone number, then installed the money transfer app Cash App onto her phone, the sheriff’s office said.
A few days after the ride, the student started receiving text messages on her phone from someone claiming to be a Cash App employee, according to the release.
The messages said this employee was contacting her to enforce federal law, the sheriff’s office said.
The “employee” told the student she needed to prove, with photos, that she was in a relationship with the driver in order for her to have his Cash App account on her phone, according to the release.
The messages said if she didn’t prove she was in the relationship, she would lose her student visa, the sheriff’s office said.
“Fearful and coerced, the (student) arranged to meet with (the driver) to stage some photos,” the sheriff’s office said.
The two took photos together and sent the images to the Cash App “employee,” according to the release.
That person responded by saying the photos were not intimate enough to prove a relationship, the sheriff’s office said.
“Out of fear, the (student) undressed and was going to pretend to be intimate with (the driver),” the sheriff’s office said, “however, he sexually assaulted her.”
Investigators later learned the driver was the person sending the messages and he had pretended to be an employee of Cash App to sexually take advantage of her, according to the release.
The driver was charged with two counts of sexual battery by a person 18 years or older upon a victim 18 years or older, the sheriff’s office said.
“I am profoundly disturbed by the actions of an individual who, under the guise of authority, took advantage of an international student’s vulnerability,” Sheriff Chad Chronister said in the release.
If you have experienced sexual assault and need someone to talk to, call the National Sexual Assault Hotline for support at 1-800-656-4673 or visit the hotline's online chatroom.
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