Lili Reinhart's 'Uber Horror Story' Prank Sparks Panic as Real-Life Attack Surfaces

Riding a cab as a woman can be a risky ordeal, inspiring the current wave of 'Uber Horror Stories' on social media. Riverdale star Lili Reinhart gave her fans a scare on Monday when she posted an ominous TikTok video of herself in a car, hinting at possible danger just out of view. When the beloved actress failed to post anything on social media in the next several hours, worried fans began to panic.

Just as soon as concerns reached a fever pitch, however, Reinhart reappeared, unscathed and amused at the situation. This prank comes just a few days after a Crypto tech whiz was drugged and robbed in an Uber, which has fueled conversations about safety while using the popular ridesharing app.

Reinhart's Terrifying Video Goes Viral

Reinhart's video was captioned 'Is this gonna be an uber horror story?,' and the reason becomes apparent immediately—the cab's door handles are covered by multiple layers of duct tape. While Reinhart looks around nervously from the back of the car, the driver is dead silent. The text over her the actress' face read, 'If you never see me again, show this to the police.'

Understandably, fans reacted with alarm for the young actress. With 'Uber Horry Stories' being a popular topic on TikTok, fans initially hoped they would get a quick follow-up with the details. One user pleaded, 'Please keep us updated when you're safe, cause this is really scary.' However, Reinheart disappeared from social media for the rest of the day—a huge red flag for her fans.

Reinhart Confirms Her Safety to Thousands of Concerned Fans

When Reinhart reappeared, it was amid a wave of concern and support. Her video had received 6.1 million views in a single day, with concerned users commenting 822.9k times.

One worried fan wrote, 'Watched this then panicked, then realised it was probs posted a few days ago and felt relieved, then realised it was actually posted minutes ago and now I'm panicking for you.' Another begged, 'Lili pls give a sign of life.'

'Girl it's been 5 hours are you good??' One asked, while another commented, 'Yeah so this is 7 hours ago and people are genuinely probably gonna start calling the police, are you okay?'

Some raised concerns regarding the legality of the Uber driver's actions, with one user calling it unsafe at best, and an unlawful entrapment at worst.

After several agonising hours, Reinhart dissuaded fans' fears, writing 'I'M ALIVE' in the comment section of her video and adding 'Guys, the window was literally down.... I was fine,' on her TikTok story. 'I was never actually fearing for my life... it was funny,' she wrote on her Instagram Story.

While fans were overwhelmingly relieved, others were less amused. One user admonished Reinhart for disappearing for 15 hours, highlighting how Buzzfeed had reported her disappearance. Another worried about the driver having received backlash, writing, 'They're automatic doors and this man probably doesn't have a job anymore, Lili!'

Perhaps sensing the backlash, Reinhart signed off with 'That's enough internet for today' on her TikTok story.

Reinhart's viral video follows a much darker incident involving a malicious Uber driver, a drugged passenger and thousands of dollars lost.

Fake Uber Driver Drugs and Takes $123k From American Techie

Jacob Irwin-Cline's vacation detour turned into a real Uber horror story when he was drugged and robbed in London while on two-day layover on his way to visit family in Spain. The incident took place on 9 May at around 1:30 am in Soho after Irwin-Cline called an Uber outside a nightclub. When a driver called out his name, an unsuspecting Irwin-Cline got in the car without checking its model or license plate.

The former software engineer's night took a turn for the nightmarish when he took a cigarette from the driver, immediately feeling the effects of a sedative called scopolamine.

'I vaguely remember going through applications a bit,' Irwin-Cline told MyLondon. 'He got a couple of passkeys from me to enter applications. There was definitely some sort of drug in the cigarette. I passed out for what I assumed to be 20 to 30 minutes.'

Irwin-Cline was taken out of the vehicle, struck by the car, and left behind in a 'weird part' of London. When he made it back to his hostel, he realised he had been locked out of his bank accounts, eventually finding out that £91,040 ($123,000) had been removed from his crypto accounts. According to Irwin-Cline, he is unlikely to see his earnings again. Despite being devastated at the loss, he remains grateful for having survived the ordeal.

'I'm alive, and that's honestly—I was not stoked at first—but that's definitely the more important thing,' he said. 'Money will come and go.'

'It's just really strange,' he added, concerned about future incidents. 'I'm just worried guys will keep getting away with it. He probably made enough money that he will not have to do this again for a while.'

Irwin-Cline's harrowing ordeal illustrates what can happen when the fears expressed in Reinhart's viral video come true. Though they had very different outcomes, both incidents underscore an unsettling truth: rideshare safety is not a guaranteed experience. Reinhart's video may have sparked laughs and headlines, but Irwin-Cline's story is a sobering reminder that for many, the danger is all too real.

As ridesharing continues to reshape transportation, passengers must prioritise vigilance, while ridesharing companies must exemplify transparency and accountability. With our combined efforts, we can prevent so-called 'Uber horror stories' in our everyday lives.