MC Investigation: How a Bengaluru cab driver used a fake fare screenshot to scam airport passengers

All of them were picked up from the Bengaluru airport Ola/Uber zone by the same driver between June 2023 and January 2024. Cab aggregators Ola and Uber have dedicated pick-up zones at Kempegowda International Airport, which is about 40 km from the central business district.

Unlike regular bookings, at the cab zones at the airport, once a passenger books a trip, he/she gets a confirmation along with an OTP/PIN, but neither a vehicle nor a driver is assigned. Passengers wait their turn in queues, board cabs sequentially and the driver starts the trip on his app against the passenger OTP.

This anonymity offered an excellent cover for the driver to carry out the scam unhindered for months together. He reportedly cancelled and in most cases didn’t even start the trips on the app.

Once the trip ended, he showed passengers the fake screenshot with a fare of Rs 5,194. The passenger’s app would show an unfulfilled trip/cancelled ride.

A fake screenshot with a green background with a fare of Rs 5,194

What followed

No formal complaint was registered against the driver with the police and the victims approached the aggregators directly to resolve the issue. Both Ola and Uber didn't reply to a query sent by Moneycontrol on February 6 on the matter.

“No FIR was registered against the driver since no formal complaint has been lodged against him yet by the victims. But we will look into the issue,” said an officer at the airport police station. Moneycontrol is in possession of the driver's name and vehicle details but is withholding them until an FIR is registered.

One victim filed an oral complaint with the police in January 2024. Police reportedly caught the driver and let him off with a warning.

It is unclear whether other drivers are involved in similar scams and whether the count of victims manipulated into paying inflated fares is higher.

How this happened

One of the victims, Krishna Kant Verma, a techie, told Moneycontrol: "I booked an Ola cab from Bengaluru airport to Horamavu on June 8, 2023. My app showed a fare of Rs 603 at the time of booking. I shared the OTP with the driver once I got into the cab and it showed that the trip started, but the same didn't reflect on my mobile app. The driver assured me that it was probably a server issue. Once I reached my residence, he showed me a fare of Rs 5,194 for the trip on his phone screen. I tried contacting Ola customer care, but there was no response. Later, they informed me that they had no record of me having taken the trip."

Verma said his father was hospitalised at the time, so he had no option because the driver was arguing and shouting at the destination.

“He didn't even allow me to check his phone, so I couldn't verify whether it was on the app or just a screenshot. I had no option but to pay him what he asked even though I was being robbed blind," said Verma.

How Bengaluru airport cab users were fleeced

However, the driver ran out of luck with his swindling ways last month. On January 10, Yash Nannaware, another techie, took an Uber from the airport Uber zone to his residence near Sarjapur.

"Once the ride was over, the bill in the driver's app was Rs 5,194 instead of Rs 1,235, which was the estimated ride cost at the time of booking. I couldn’t access the active ride details during the journey and was in a rush to get back to work, so I avoided arguing with the driver and paid him the fare he demanded through UPI," Nannaware told Moneycontrol.

Nannaware had the presence of mind to take pictures of the vehicle and driver and video record their conversation over the fare at the end of the trip, which helped the cops track down the driver.

“I first approached my nearest police station in Bellandur but officers didn't seem keen on pursuing the matter. I then put out a post narrating this incident on social media and tagged Bengaluru city police. I later received a call from KIA police station informing they'd nabbed the driver. He admitted to the fraud and was let go with a warning by the police. The driver returned the money he'd charged me and apologised to me over a phone call."

Nannaware said airport passengers, especially those who live in other parts of the country, are often in no position to make multiple trips to police stations and file complaints.

“There are no call centre facilities by the aggregators and one has to raise the complaint through the app in case of an emergency/critical situation. Also, the customer care/help section of cab aggregators only works for completed trips, not cancelled rides," he said. "In fact, the driver's name on the cab aggregator app and UPI are different. Also, in his recent trip records, none of the rides he's undertaken show completed. If it helps in raising awareness and deters others from practising such fraudulent means, I'm ready to file an FIR."

Nannavare's social media post caught the attention of aviation worker Priyasna Gurung. She had taken a trip from Bengaluru airport to Kadugodi near Whitefield in the early hours of December 27, less than a fortnight before Nannavare's incident, and was similarly charged Rs 5,194 instead of the Rs 788 fare shown before the ride.

“I had no outstanding payments and was confused about what was happening. My app showed it as a cancelled trip with no payable fare. The driver assured me that I would be refunded by Uber within 72 hours if I was overcharged. I had no clue that it was all a scam," Gurung said.

Gurung said she received no assistance from Uber despite repeated complaints.

“I also later got in touch with Nannaware through social media and managed to get my money back from the driver." she told Moneycontrol.

Techie Swaminathan Lalgudi's sister-in-law went through the same drill: booked an Uber ride from Bengaluru airport to Mahadevapura, ride in progress didn't reflect on her app, driver asked her to pay Rs 5,194 (instead of Rs 808 at the time of booking).

When she questioned the driver about the fare, he refused to open the boot of the car where she'd kept her suitcases. The argument lasted for a couple of hours before she paid the driver the fare he'd demanded.

"Since we knew someone at Uber we managed to get a refund," Lalgudi told Moneycontrol. "Most passengers don't file complaints because of the absence of evidence. The trip didn’t start on the passenger app, so there was no proof."

Not all are lucky

Not all victims were fortunate enough to get their money back. Hotel management student Anurag Kumar described his trip from the airport to Mathikere on January 17 as nothing short of a "nightmare."

Kumar told Moneycontrol: "Upon booking, the fare on my Ola app showed Rs 730. Once the trip ended, on my app, it showed that the ride had been cancelled, but on the driver's phone screen, it showed a payable fare of Rs 5,194. I refused to pay such a huge amount and after a long argument with the driver that lasted nearly two hours, he agreed to accept Rs 1,600. That's still more than double the actual fare. I plan to approach the consumer court."

This scam appears to have been in operation for over a year. It was first reported by Aakash Dubey, who posted on X on November 27, 2022: "Took a cab from KIA to MS Palya today. The app showed me Rs 1,000 for the trip, and the driver charged me Rs 5,194.”

Another Ola passenger named Rohit Shukla shared a similar experience on June 12, 2023.

"I booked a cab from Bengaluru airport, and the driver came and picked us up, but the ride never started on my app. I informed this to the driver, and he replied that it was showing fine at his end and that it was probably a glitch on my app," Shukla said. "Once we reached our destination, he asked me to pay Rs 5,194, whereas in the app, it showed Rs 1,225. He threatened to call other drivers if we didn’t pay the money. What's worse is there is no customer support for Ola. How can drivers run such a scam without fear  of action? It's really scary."