Police have urged victims of crime to report it directly, after they found out about a man allegedly posing as an Uber driver via social media pages.
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Acting Inspector Jayson Joerdens of Wollongong Police in NSW's Illawarra region, said police spoke to an alleged victim of the man after seeing the post.
"We got a direct version of what happened, conducted CCTV enquiries, established the car registration and put some detectives into play to identify who owned the car."
Acting Inspector Joerdens said the owner of the car was a woman, and police conducted surveillance to see whether her male partner ever drove the car.
Police will allege they caught the man driving the car with his partner in the passenger seat at 9pm Monday. They allege he has never held a driver's licence in Australia.
They stopped the Honda Accord on Robinson Street, Wollongong. The 34-year-old man was arrested and taken to Wollongong Police Station where he was subsequently charged with sexually touch another person without consent and driver never licensed.
The man was not previously known to police, and Acting Inspector Joerdens said they did not have historic reports of similar incidents.
"This is something new, it is something we take seriously, and that's why we jumped on it right away," he said.
"We urge people if they have similar experiences to call CrimeStoppers or us so we can investigate.
"These are fairly rare occurrences in Wollongong."
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There is currently a high-visibility policing operation ongoing in the Wollongong CBD on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights, targeting anti-social behaviour.
Acting Inspector Joerdens urged anyone who felt unsafe while out to approach a police officer and ask for help.
"We want everyone to safely enjoy their night out," he said.
"Look after your mates. If you order an Uber or taxi for them, stay with them until it arrives so you can double check the registration when it arrives.
"It is not normal for a random driver to show up and offer you a ride."
The alleged incident, reported in the Mercury at the weekend, sparked an outpouring of concern and safety tips from concerned residents.
The man was granted conditional bail to appear before Wollongong Local Court on November 9.