Lounge scam at Bangalore airport, victim loses INR 87,000
A woman became a victim of a lounge scam at Bengaluru Airport, resulting in a loss exceeding Rs. 87,000.
A woman named Bhargavi Mani recently fell victim to a scam at Bengaluru International Airport while attempting to access a lounge before her flight.
The details surrounding the incident are quite alarming. Here’s how the scam transpired.
In a video that has gained significant attention, Mani explained that she did not have her physical credit card on hand and instead showed a photo of it to the lounge staff.
They instructed her to download an application and complete a facial recognition scan, which they claimed was necessary for security purposes. Unfortunately, this was later revealed to be a deceptive tactic designed to collect her personal information.
Mani proceeded to install the “Lounge Pass” app but opted not to use the lounge, choosing instead to relax with a coffee at Starbucks.
It was only later that she noticed something was amiss with her phone. Initially, she attributed this to ongoing issues she had been experiencing with her Airtel service for several months.
The situation became clearer when unfamiliar individuals began answering her calls.
During her investigation, she discovered that more than ₹ 87,000 had been illicitly charged to her credit card and subsequently transferred to a PhonePay account.
Further, yet another video of the victim has surfaced in which she says nowhere throughout the process she has blamed the Bangalore airport authorities. She also adds that the authorities have been providing constant support since she first posted about the incident.
In the video, she mentioned that shortly after she uploaded the initial video, the airport authorities contacted her and are currently providing support regarding the situation. The matter has been informed to the cyber cell.
“Clarifications & Update on the Lounge Pass App scam! Media has started splashing the story & this is my humble attempt to set the record straight and ensure the wrong people aren’t being blamed for it,” says her post.