‘Tried to spend $175’: Atlanta woman gets in Lyft. Then Amanda the driver steals her wallet

‘It’s always Lyft.’

A college student says she took a Lyft with a driver named Amanda. Then, according to her, Amanda ended up driving off with her wallet. 

Clark Atlanta University freshman Kamyriana Wilson (@myrii.bae) wanted to go out for 404 day, a free celebration of Atlanta culture that takes place in Piedmont Park. But a Lyft drive before the outing ended up ruining her plans. She shared her story in a TikTok, which has more than 84,000 views as of this writing. 

What Happened During Atlanta Student’s Lyft Ride?

Wilson says that on Saturday, April 4, she took a Lyft ride to go to one of Atlanta’s most prolific events—404 day. The Clark freshman was excited to spend time with friends during the free event, a 15-year tradition that many Atlanta natives and visitors attend.

Wilson states in her TikTok video that she was sitting directly behind her driver, who she identified as Amanda, during the ride. She says she had her red and black wallet with her, along with some jewelry that she wanted to put on before she arrived. The TikToker says that her wallet fell beneath the driver’s seat, which she didn’t pay much attention to since she was still putting on her jewelry. She forgot about it during the course of the ride.

Wilson mentions that there had been some traffic during the drive, which had delayed her arrival. She says that as a result, she and her friends decided to get out of the vehicle around two minutes early and walk the rest of the way to their destination. As soon as she got out of the car, she realized that she might have left her red and black wallet in the vehicle. The driver, though, sped off without giving her a chance to grab it. Panicked, she says she started calling the driver immediately. 

Wilson says she sent three texts at around 7:23 p.m. to the driver. “Red and black wallet,” she wrote. “PLEASE… MY WALLET.” But the driver was already heading away from her. That’s when Wilson made the decision to report the wallet as stolen to Lyft. 

Wilson says she contacted Lyft as soon as she realized her driver wasn’t coming back. She ended up having to repeat information about her driver over and over to the support team, which didn’t result in her getting any of her possessions back. She also did not receive any reimbursement. 

In an interview with 11alive, Wilson mentioned that she had around $125 worth of belongings inside the wallet—$100 cash, a pair of keys worth $25, and her debit card. The college freshman says the theft was especially cruel because she didn’t have enough funds for it not to impact her day-to-day life. 

Speaking directly to Lyft in her TikTok, the student said, “I feel like y’all should care about my case ’cause I’m a broke college student.” Then, she pointed her attention toward the driver, adding, “ I’m broker than you are. And you riding around doing Lyft. You can make that—you can make what you stole from me off about five drives or something like that. But you decided to rob me and take my money, and Lyft won’t help me get my stuff back.”

Wilson Continues Pushing for Accountability

Wilson wanted to get in touch with Lyft to see if her items could be returned, which she says proved unfruitful. Lyft can sometimes assist with connecting a driver with a passenger when something is left in a vehicle, but it doesn’t provide reimbursements or insurance for lost items.

A Lyft representative made a statement to 11alive saying that they had reached out to Wilson and the driver as part of a broader investigation, but it’s unclear if any action has been taken since then.

Wilson also added in both her comments section and in later interviews that she filed a police report, although there haven’t been any pertinent updates regarding the situation. Since posting the initial video, Wilson has responded to additional inquiries in her comments section but hasn’t created any posts that indicate the situation has changed. 

A Rideshare Driver Stole Something From Me. Now What?

The best thing to do when a Lyft driver takes your personal belongings—like a phone or wallet—is to immediately freeze your accounts and start tracking any receipts of the encounter. It’s important to always check that the license plate of the vehicle you’re entering matches the one available in-app, for instance, because the license plate can be used to help identify the car’s owner if needed.

Another important step is to report the situation to Lyft’s lost and found. For Uber riders, there’s also a similar, comparable service. Then, consider filing a police report.

When filing a report, it’s important to include as much detail as possible. But, even when giving the police every possible detail about a theft, there’s still a chance that you won’t get your items back. That’s where homeowner’s or renter’s insurance can come in handy. Most policies cover the cost of replacing lost items like phones and wallets. A police report, then, can be useful in making a case for an insurance claim.

It can also be smart to include AirTags or similar trackers on hard-to-replace items, especially when taking a ride in a stranger’s vehicle. That way, it’s harder to lose your belongings and easier to track them down when you do. 

AllHipHop reached out to Lyft via press email and Wilson via TikTok direct message and comment for more information. We’ll let you know if either party responds.

@myrii.bae @Lyft PLEASE HELP ASAP‼️‼️‼️‼️ im also filing a police report . #robbed #storytime #404 #fyp #viral ♬ original sound – Certified.Myrii🥷🖤

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