A woman became a victim of cyber crime at Bengaluru International Airport, where she lost ₹87,000 to scammers while trying to gain access to a lounge before her flight. She shared her story on Instagram along with recent updates, asking people to stay vigilant and learn from her mishap.
Woman Falls Prey To Cyber Crime At Bengaluru Airport
A video on X (formerly Twitter) has Bhargavii Mani explaining the scam that occurred with her inside the Bengaluru Airport on September 29. She revealed that she arrived at the airport five hours early. To catch some rest, she walked to the airport lounge. Since she didn’t have her physical; credit card, she was asked to show a photograph of the credit card to get access to the lounge.
This scam occurred inside the Bengaluru International Airport, to a person using an IPhone, which I regard as scam proof. Safeguard ur hard-earned money, folks! pic.twitter.com/dOlEg5kGGt
— Dr Jaison Philip. M.S., MCh (@Jasonphilip8) October 22, 2024
After her credit card was scanned, the lounge staff directed her to download an app called ‘Lounge Pass’. On downloading the app, she was asked to complete the facial recognition process for security via screen sharing. Bhargavii found it odd, but she was too tired to pay attention to the red fags. So, she did as was instructed on the app. Despite completing the process, she didn’t use the lounge and instead grabbed a coffee at Starbucks.
Later, she boarded the flight and was occupied for the next days tending to a loved one who was hospitalised. A few days later, her friends complained about being unable to reach her by phone. Initially, she dismissed her friends’ concerns to be nothing but network issues. Later, when she received her credit card statement, she was astonished to discover that ₹87,000 had been transferred to a PhonePe account. Moreover, a few people complained that a man was answering her phone.
Scammers Hacked Her Phone Through Lounge App
That’s when she put two and two together and realised the scammers may have accessed her phone through the ‘Lounge Pass’ app. Through screen sharing, the scammers may have set up call forwarding. And then potentially intercepted her one-time passwords (OTPs) to get access to her transactions.
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Bhargavii reported the scam to the cybercrime department. She also alerted her bank to block her credit card. Moreover, she put out another video on Instagram urging Netizens to not blame Bengaluru Airport. In fact, she revealed that the airport staff on seeing her viral video, immediately contacted her to offer help.
Bhargavii also revealed that the first few search engine results on Google are often sponsored. So, they may not be credible. Sleep-deprived and tired, she couldn’t verify the app before downloading it. The passenger asked Netizens to avoid blaming Bengaluru Airport or Google for the mishap.
Also Read: Bengaluru Airport In On A Mission To Make Its Premises Litter-Free & Promote Waste Segregation
Currently, the matter is being investigated. While the woman tends to her loved one’s health issues she asks for privacy. Yet, through her videos, she wants travellers to beware of scams as they can happen to anyone, even an iPhone user like herself.
Cover Image Courtesy: Bhargavii Mani/ X and Instagram and Canva Pro
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