Cyber Crime
Woman Duped of Rs 87,000 in Lounge Scam at Bengaluru Airport: Here’s How the Fraud Unfolded
BENGALURU: Amidst the growing wave of cybercrimes in India, a woman recently became the victim of a scam at Bengaluru International Airport, losing more than Rs 87,000 while attempting to access an airport lounge.
The woman, who shared her experience in a video circulating on social media, recounted that the incident took place on September 29. In the video, a social media user commented: “This scam occurred inside Bengaluru International Airport, targeting a person using an iPhone, which I consider scam-proof. Stay vigilant with your hard-earned money, everyone!”
What Is the Lounge Scam?
The woman explained that she had arrived at the airport five hours before her flight and decided to rest in an airport lounge. Since she did not have her physical credit card with her, the lounge staff requested a photograph of the card to facilitate entry.
After scanning the card image, the staff instructed her to download an app called “Lounge Pass” and complete a facial recognition process via screen sharing, which she found unusual. However, feeling fatigued, she complied with the request, downloaded the app, and completed the security steps. Ultimately, she did not use the lounge and opted to have coffee at Starbucks instead.
A few days later, her friends began informing her that they were unable to reach her by phone. She initially thought it was a network issue but became alarmed when some friends mentioned that a man was answering her calls. Preoccupied with her parent’s health at the time, she didn’t pay much attention to it.
The full extent of the scam came to light when she received her credit card statement and discovered that more than Rs 87,000 had been transferred to a PhonePe account. She suspects that the scammers gained access to her phone through the “Lounge Pass” app, enabling them to set up call forwarding and intercept one-time passwords (OTPs) to carry out unauthorized transactions.
She has since reported the incident to the cybercrime authorities and contacted her bank to block her credit card to prevent further losses. In her video, she urged viewers to remain cautious and advised them to delete any unnecessary apps from their phones, regardless of whether they use an iPhone or Android device.