A woman recently fell victim to a scam at Bengaluru Airport, losing over Rs 87,000. While attempting to access the lounge, she didn’t have her physical credit card and presented a photo of it instead. The lounge staff asked her to download an app and complete a face scan, supposedly for security. Unknowingly, she became a target of fraud.
The app, “Lounge Pass,” was downloaded on September 29, but the woman never used the lounge facilities. She realized the scam only after receiving her credit card bill, which showed significant unauthorized charges.
Further complicating matters, she later found out that her calls were being forwarded to another number, and a man had been answering calls intended for her. Initially blaming network issues, she discovered that the scammers had accessed her phone settings, enabled call forwarding, and potentially intercepted OTPs to complete unauthorized transactions.
She has since reported the incident to the cybercrime department, informed her bank (HDFC), and blocked her card. The scam highlights growing concerns about digital fraud, especially in public places like airports.
Authorities continue to investigate the case. In a similar incident, 59 people in Hong Kong were victims of an online extortion scam involving fake video chats, collectively losing Rs 2 crore.
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