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Woman loses Rs. 87,000 through scam app at Bengaluru Airport

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  • 2 min read

Bhargavi Mani fell victim to a sophisticated scam at Bengaluru International Airport that cost her over Rs. 87,000. The event unfolded as she attempted to access a lounge before her flight, only to be misled by fraudsters posing as legitimate staff who lured her into downloading a malicious app.

The ordeal came to light after Mani shared her experience in a now-viral video detailing how she was duped by scammers using technology to their advantage. According to Mani, she was not carrying her physical credit card and instead displayed a photo of it to the lounge staff.

This was when things took a turn. The staff instructed her to download an application called ‘Lounge Pass’ and undergo a facial scan, supposedly for security purposes.

Initially unaware of the trap, Mani compiled and downloaded the app. However, she chose to skip using the lounge and went for a coffee at Starbucks instead. It wasn’t until later that she discovered something was wrong. Unable to receive phone calls, she became suspicious when strangers answered her incoming calls.

Upon closer inspection, she realised her credit card had been fraudulently charged for a staggering Rs. 87,000, which was transferred to a PhonePe account.

Mani promptly reported the scam to the cybercrime department and notified her bank, which immediately blocked her card. While shaken by the incident, she clarified in a follow-up video that she doesn’t hold Bengaluru International Airport responsible for the scam.

She also mentioned that airport officials quickly searched out after her video gained traction online and have been actively assisting in resolving the matter.

To protect themselves from such sophisticated scams, users should download apps only from authorised stores such as Google Play Store or Apple App Store.

In July 2024, reports showed that Chinese-based Smishing Triad targeted Indian users with India Post phishing scams. Similarly, another phishing scam masquerading as Regional Transport Office (RTO) was found to target Indian Android users via WhatsApp.

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Kumar Hemant

Kumar Hemant

Deputy Editor at Candid.Technology. Hemant writes at the intersection of tech and culture and has a keen interest in science, social issues and international relations. You can contact him here: kumarhemant@pm.me

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