At Bengaluru airport, woman loses over ₹87,000 in lounge ‘scam’. Viral video | Bengaluru

In yet another cyber crime incident, a woman fell victim to a scam at the Bengaluru international airport, losing over ₹87,000 while trying to get access to a lounge before her flight. The woman suspected that the scammers accessed her phone through the ‘Lounge Pass” app, allowing them to set up call forwarding and intercept one-time passwords (OTPs) to facilitate unauthorized transactions.(X) A video of the woman, who was unnamed, has been making rounds on social media as she narrates her ordeal. The incident occurred on September 29, she said. A social media user shared the video, adding, “This scam occurred inside the Bengaluru International Airport, to a person using an IPhone, which I regard as scam proof. Safeguard your hard-earned money, folks!” She was traveling without her credit cards, so she showed a photo of one at the Bengaluru airport lounge to gain entry. The lounge staff then instructed her to download an app called “Lounge Pass” and complete a facial recognition process for security. Following these steps, she was later shocked to discover the fraud when she later checked her credit card statement. Despite downloading the app, the woman never actually used the lounge, opting instead for a coffee at Starbucks before her flight, she said. A few days post the trip, friends began telling her they couldn’t reach her phone. Initially, she attributed this to ongoing issues with her Airtel service, which she had been experiencing for months. However, when someone mentioned that a man had been answering her calls, alarm bells began to ring, though she dismissed it at the time due to personal matters. The situation took a dire turn when she discovered unauthorized charges on her credit card totalling over ₹87,000, transferred to a PhonePe account. She suspected that the scammers accessed her phone through the app, allowing them to set up call forwarding and intercept one-time passwords (OTPs) to facilitate the unauthorized transactions, she said. Watch the full video here: The woman has since reported the incident to the cybercrime department, alerted her bank and blocked her credit card to prevent further losses. There have been increasing instances of cybercrimes happening in Bengaluru, especially those involving courier firms and digital arrests.