In a startling new twist on ride-hailing fraud, a Bengaluru man shared his experience from a seemingly normal cab ride that ended with two different fares being shown — one on his official app and a higher one on the driver’s phone. What looked like a routine trip soon exposed a sophisticated scam involving a fake app mirroring a legitimate aggregator’s interface.
The Ride That Didn’t End Clean
The passenger booked a ride from Bangalore Terminal 2 to Jakkur, seeing an estimated fare of ₹598 on his official app. Everything seemed normal: the OTP was entered, the ride commenced. At drop-off, however, the driver showed him a fare of ₹758 — a significant jump — via a phone screen that looked like the app’s UI. When the man checked his own app, the ride was still listed as “ongoing”, flagging the fraud. On closer inspection, the driver’s phone revealed a different application named TownRide, cloned to resemble the official app but allowing manual fare edits. Faced with exposure, the driver reverted to the correct amount and sped off.
What This Reveals About Tech-Driven Taxi Scams
Experts warn that the scam highlights how fraudsters now blend digital mimicry with familiar services. By creating near-identical apps, they deceive passengers into over-paying while leaving little trace. Several users on Reddit and social platforms reported similar incidents across cab aggregators, saying drivers showed inflated fares and evaded app tracking by switching platforms mid-trip. The key vulnerabilities are cloned-app interfaces, driver collusion, and the disguised ‘extra fare’ request.
How to Protect Yourself During App-Based Rides
- Always verify your fare, and ensure your ride is properly ended on your device before payment.
- If the driver shows a fare higher than your app displays, insist on payment as per your own app’s fare or cancel the ride.
- Check for official app branding and never pay via suspicious links or external payment requests.
- Report any such incident to the ride-hailing platform immediately and document screenshots.
This Bengaluru incident puts travellers on alert: even trusted digital services can be manipulated. Vigilance, verification and refusal to pay beyond your app’s fare are the best defenses in the era of hybrid tech scams.
