An Uber driver helped a stranded TikTok influencer after she was robbed during Coachella. In return, she raised over $240,000 for his family.
- A TikToker raised over $240,000 for her Uber driver after finding out his daughter is suffering from cancer.
- The friendship began after an influencer was robbed, and her Uber driver called off his day to help her.
A friendly Uber driver is going to receive over $240,000 after helping a stranded Tik Tok influencer.
Becca Moore, 23, said on TikTok that she was in California during Coachella when someone stole her phone, credit cards, and the keys to her rental car. She spent the night in a friend's hotel room, and the next morning, the hotel staff called her an Uber to get her phone replaced.
"All I had was a piece of paper with the Sprint store address on it," Moore told USA Today, adding that she tried to act normal in the Uber but ended up anxiously telling her driver, Raul Torres, everything.
"I was like, 'I got robbed last night,'" Moore recalled to USA Today. "I was kind of downplaying it, and he was like, 'No. This is actually bad. I'm not going to let you go into the Sprint store and leave you. I'll just wait and make sure you get a phone.'"
Torres called off the rest of his day to help her. Moore said Torres came into a Sprint store with her to help her get a new phone, and afterward, took her to Starbucks to get a drink and calm down. Then, they went to the police station to file a report on her stolen possessions.
It wasn't until later that Moore got in touch with her mom, who tracked her phone to an Airbnb. The police, Moore, and Torres searched the location for the phone, but they had no luck, resulting in the police leaving.
"They thought I was just some party girl and they were like 'You don't have a phone. Sorry,'" Moore told USA Today. She and Torres later found her phone during an additional search attempt.
"It was so relieving because I knew I could leave now," Moore told the outlet. "My credit card was in the (phone) case, so I could get a rental car to get to LA so I could get to an airport or something."
Moore and Torres then got dinner, where they chatted more about their families. According to USA Today, Moore mentioned her birthday on June 16, which happened to be the two-year anniversary of the day Torres' daughter was diagnosed with cancer.
"I was like 'Oh my God. This guy's daughter has cancer. I just wasted his entire day,'" Moore told USA Today.
So on April 28, she started a GoFundMe and shared it on TikTok, calling on her followers to "pls consider giving anything u can." Before long, the fundraiser had passed its initial goal of $1,000, now standing at over $243,450.
"It hit $1,000 in one hour and then $100,000 in 24 hours," Moore told USA Today. "That was the most insane thing ever. I still can't believe it."
On April 30, she updated her GoFundMe, sharing the news that Torres' father, who also suffered from cancer, had passed away.
"Please help me keep helping Raul's family. The Torres family didn't know they'd wake up this morning with a funeral to plan today too," Moore said on the fundraiser.
The money will help Torres' family cover medical bills, Moore said. USA Today reported that she visited the family on Mother's Day, meeting Torres' daughter.
"I hung out with him and his wife," Moore told the outlet. "I love them. We went out for drinks and everything. He's in really good spirits these days, except this week has been hard because his burial was two days ago for his dad."
She added that her chance meeting with Torres started a friendship that changed her life. In a comment to Insider, Moore simply said to "pay it forward!!"
"He's just so selfless," Moore told USA Today. "He changed the way I look at the world."