According to the X user, the driver added an additional Rs 1,000 to his bill by using an app called Blumeter, which appears exactly like Uber.
Bengaluru is notorious for its heavy traffic and protracted traffic bottlenecks. People are constantly complaining about the terrible traffic and the limited availability of public transportation. As a result, a lot of people rely on cab aggregators like Ola and Uber and take private taxis. Recently, a man shared his taxi booking experience from Bengaluru airport on social media. User Mahesh reported a “inventive new scam” in his article, in which cab drivers overcharge passengers by using a fake version of the Uber app.
Mr. Suthar disclosed in the ensuing articles that he almost fell victim to fraud by a Bengaluru taxi driver at the airport. He clarified that the driver added an additional Rs 1,000 to his ride using an app called Blumeter, which looks just like Uber.
“Today’s clever new swindle by @BLRAirport cab is amazing. When this guy began and concluded the trip with $1,000 extra built in, he showed me a perfect duplicate of the @Uber app. When I requested for the bill, he stated I would receive it the following month and that the additional amount was due to GST. Mr. Mahesh posted a picture of the taxi driver who attempted to con him along with the caption, “So cute.”
Mr. Mahesh stated in the following post that the scam “quite impressed” him. He also described its operation. “They utilize Blumeter, an Android software that resembles Uber. To establish credibility, they will display and press the “Trip Start” button. Later, they will conclude their journey using the same app, which displays a far greater sum,” he added.
“They will claim that the billing system is temporarily broken if you want a legitimate bill. Next month, you will receive the bill by email. Oddly enough, Mr. Rajagopal Y N didn’t even ask for my phone number or email address. “Busted, hehe!”
The X user posted a screenshot of the Blumeter app, which is accessible on the Google Play store, in the comments area. “It wasn’t Uber; it was an airport taxi. The app they’re using looks a much like Uber. To increase fares, you can implement your own surge pricing,” he stated.
Social media users swiftly shared Mr. Mahesh’s tweets. While several users claimed to have fallen victim to similar frauds, others in the comments section questioned why an airport cab was utilizing an app in the first place.
“A real meter is operating in the genuine taxis at the Bangalore airport. “Not an app,” one user commented. “Why would you assume that was your Uber ride if you didn’t schedule one? I’m not here to defend anyone. I don’t understand your story,” someone else said.
A similar incident was shared by one individual. “This exact thing actually happened to me today. At first, the guy didn’t even want the Uber OTP, and I could tell that he did nothing with it when I asked him to input it. then a screenshot at the end displayed a higher price. The man responded that the “Uber servers are slow” after I showed him the Uber app and told him there would be no journey here. I informed him that, as a software engineer, I would not fall for such nonsense. When the man realized he had been discovered, he merely paid the first sum displayed on the Uber app,” one user commented.
“Taxi drivers at Bangalore Airport ought to be required to present printed receipts, which ought to be prominently displayed on the vehicle. One user wrote, “They’ve started con artists like this and even provide handwritten receipts.”
