A woman recently fell victim to a sophisticated scam at Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru, losing over ₹87,000 while attempting to access the airport lounge before her flight. Bhargavi Mani, who later shared her experience in a video, recounted how the incident unfolded on September 29, warning others about financial fraud in public spaces. Since she didn’t have her physical credit card with her, she presented a photo of it to gain access to the lounge. The staff then requested her to download an app and undergo facial screening for security purposes. She followed their instructions, but later realized it was a scam when she received her credit card bill. After downloading the “Lounge Pass” app on September 29, she did not use the lounge but instead went to Starbucks for coffee.
A few days after her trip, Bhargavi noticed that friends and family were unable to reach her by phone. Initially, she believed it was due to Airtel network issues, something she had been experiencing for months. However, her concerns grew when someone mentioned that a male voice was answering her calls. Upon investigating, she discovered that ₹87,000 had been charged to her credit card and transferred to a PhonePe account. She suspects that the scammers accessed her phone via the app, enabling call forwarding and possibly intercepting OTPs to carry out unauthorized transactions.
In her viral video, Bhargavi explained, “They accessed my phone settings through screen sharing, set up call forwarding, and blocked my incoming calls. I’m not sure how many OTPs they intercepted.” She has since filed a complaint with the cybercrime department, informed her bank (HDFC), and blocked her card. Through her social media post, she cautioned others about the risks of scams even in seemingly secure places like airports. The incident has sparked widespread discussions, especially because Bhargavi was using an iPhone, which is often thought to be more secure against such attacks.
The scam involved showing a photo of the credit card and downloading an app, which allowed the perpetrators to access her phone, set up call forwarding, and commit financial fraud. Despite red flags, she only realized the scam when she received a large credit card bill.