A grandmother says she has been left too terrified to drive after an Uber driver allegedly forced her to withdraw thousands of dollars after a minor crash in Melbourne. The Uber driver denies the allegations.
Judy Liddy accidentally hit a rideshare car on Grantham Street in West Brunswick on a morning in March, which left both vehicles with minor damage.
The 80-year-old claimed the driver, Osama, then confronted her.
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"He said, 'This is all constantly repeated, this is your fault, you hit into me', which I kept on apologising for," she told 9News.
Liddy claimed Osama demanded cash and she agreed to pay $2500.
She alleged the pair met at Westpac Moonee Ponds, where the teller was sceptical of the request.
"I told her I'd had a collision, she said, 'No, you can't have the money', because she said this is a scam," Liddy said.
Liddy claimed Osama then drove her 10 minutes down the road to the Brunswick branch, where she was able to withdraw the cash.
"So in an envelope at the front on Sydney Road, I handed it to him and I said, 'Now I don't want to have anything else'," she said.
"I don't want to see your face again."
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Osama denied ever receiving the money and questioned why he would ever scare a senior citizen.
"We came out, she didn't give me the money, she did not hand me over the money," he said.
"I don't know what to say, I just claimed the insurance."
Osama had been driving a leased company car, whose insurance and lawyers have sent Liddy multiple letters demanding $8000 in damages.
She has reported the matter to police, who are investigating.
Liddy said the incident has left her too scared to drive.
"I've got three beautiful granddaughters and I've spent 25 years of my life on the streets," she said.
"I no longer drive and it's just been an absolute nightmare."
