When Ashy Rauicava jumped in the back of a silver car to head home after a night out she had no idea her driver was only pretending to be her Uber ride.
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The man pulled up to the footpath near Hotel Illawarra, in Wollongong in NSW's Illawarra region, and she thought it was the ride her friend had booked. The driver agreed he was there for her.
She thought it was weird when the man said his Uber maps weren't working and after he asked her to get into the front seat because he couldn't hear her properly.
But Ms Rauicava became frightened when the driver said he wouldn't accept her card payment, and with only having $25 in cash on her, he told her she could pay with sex.
He grabbed her and said he wanted "more".
"I was terrified, absolutely terrified," Ms Rauicava said.
The 32-year-old assertively told the driver he was not allowed to touch her because it was wrong and illegal.
She was able to get out of the car and ran in the opposite direction of her house not knowing what he would do.
After the man drove away, she quickly went home where she called her mum and burst into tears.
She was distressed, feeling completely violated, not to mention on edge as she saw him drive past her house.
Ms Rauicava was not able to sleep that night.
She said she was physically able to take care of herself but was still worried, not just for herself and her own safety but for other women he might pick up and assault.
Ms Rauicava wants to raise awareness so other women are mindful of the predator and can be safe on a night out.
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Wollongong chief inspector Angela Burnell confirmed detectives were investigating the allegations after Ms Rauicava reported it, and encouraged any people with similar experiences to report the incidents to police.
Georgia Hazeldene took to social media to warn other women about her encounter, and made a report to police, in the hopes the man is caught.
Ms Hazeldene said she and her friend were also out on Friday night when they were walking down a CBD street when a man in a grey car, with dark skin, dark hair and stubble, told them he was an Uber driver and asked if they wanted to get in.
Ms Hazeldene said she brushed off the remark and kept walking because as sad as it is, she has had to deal with unwanted and horrible remarks, catcalls or whistles in the past.
However it wasn't until the next morning that she learnt another one of her friends had gotten into a silver car she thought was her Uber.
After another passenger was dropped off, the driver stopped out the front of what the woman thought was his house and asked her if she wanted to go inside for sex.
Ms Hazeldene, speaking on behalf of her friend, said she froze and had no idea what to do but knew she was in danger and had to get out of the car.
The man touched the woman's leg and tried to kiss her but she was able to get outside and left before he drove away.
"She told me she feels like it was her fault, which is so sad because it is not her fault at all," Ms Hazeldene said. "Sometimes in those situations you may forget to check the number plate.
"It is sad because the reality is being a woman we get whistled at, called names, blow off comments, keep walking and told to keep our keys between our fingers.
"Even if people are alone or vulnerable it is not their fault."
Ms Hazeldene also learnt that another friend of hers was also approached by a man in a silver car.
"When we pieced it all together, we can't be sure but it could have been the same man in the same car, which made me sick," she said.
"Now that everyone is going out, seeing their friends and family again, getting a drink and being social I want them to be safe and have fun.
"I hope people stick together with their friends, check the Uber car and message each other when they get home."
Hotel Illawarra publican Ryan Aitchson said he and his wife Nikki were mortified when they saw social media posts about the predator.
"We have young daughters and we hate that this type of behaviour goes on. We want to make sure we can do everything we can to keep people safe," he said.
Mr Aitchson said the hotel had four times as many security guards as required, they do perimeter checks and have a lot of CCTV cameras.
"The next line of defence is our staff watching as single women or those in groups walk towards cars," he said.
"We will observe the body language of the driver, and the entire situation. If we identify anything suspicious then we will be proactive and jump on the situation.
"We feel we have a duty of care to make sure people have a great night out and come back the next week without having an ordeal like described, which would scare anyone."
Mr Aitchson said he would work with police and provide any information he could to help catch the predator.
It is not yet known if all the incidents are linked and that will form part of the police investigation.
