The scam sees a driver charging a passenger a clean-up fee for a mess they didn’t make.

This is a scam some Uber drivers in the US have been carrying out for at least a year and there have been several reports of it happening in Australia this year.

Usually, the driver places plastic wrap on the seat or floor – so as not to damage their car – and then smears water, food, mud or some other substance over the top.

They then take a photo and send it to Uber as proof of the “mess” and the company bills the innocent passenger.

Janice Brooks was charged a $20 cleaning bill – less than the $150 maximum – for what the driver claimed was mud left on the floor.

Brooks, who was in Ballarat for a wedding and caught an Uber from a train station to the airport, insists she made no such mess.

“I walked down the ramp [at the train station], walked across the car park,” Ms Brooks said.

“It was all paved. There was no mud anywhere but it was wet because it had been drizzling.”

The first Ms Brooks knew about it was when Uber charged her a $20 clean-up fee. When she complained, the rideshare company sent her photos taken by the driver.

“When I saw the photos, I thought, ‘oh my God, this guy has literally staged this to get a cleaning fee’,” she said.

“Obviously some people aren’t happy enough [with what they make from Uber] that they are willing to do scams to get more money.”

After Ms Brooks threatened to talk to the Mercury, Uber removed the $20 charge.

Uber declined to state whether Ms Brooks’ driver had charged a clean-up fee to a passenger before or if any disciplinary action would be taken.

“Uber is always evaluating its customer service processes and looking for ways to better serve our riders and drivers,” a spokeswoman said.

“While messes and spilled drinks can happen in moving vehicles, we actively look into reports where fraud may be detected and take the appropriate actions on those accounts.”