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A Filipino tourist, Mej de Castro, found unauthorised transactions totalling $399 after using free Wi‑Fi at Perth Airport and Singapore’s Changi Airport. The purchases were round-trip airline tickets worth 15,067.12 Philippine pesos. The available report does not establish that Perth Airport’s official network caused the loss—or even which network, if any, was involved.
What happened to Mej de Castro
PerthNow reported on November 3, 2025, that de Castro was travelling from Western Australia to the Philippines. She connected to free Wi‑Fi at Perth Airport and later at Changi Airport to send updates to her family. Hours afterward, she noticed unauthorised transactions adding up to $399, used to buy round-trip airline tickets.
The report did not identify her bank, card or account type, the airline, whether the bank reimbursed her, or whether police or either airport confirmed a breach. It also did not establish whether she entered credentials into a suspicious Wi‑Fi portal. PerthNow’s report is the source for the amount, timing and ticket purchases.
What is known—and what is not
| Established by the report | Not established |
|---|---|
| Two airport Wi‑Fi connections were used. | Which network, if any, exposed the account. |
| Unauthorised transactions appeared hours later. | Whether a fake hotspot or captive portal was involved. |
| The transactions totalled $399 and bought airline tickets. | Whether credentials were entered, how the transactions were authorised, or whether money was recovered. |
The timing is concerning, but it is not proof that Perth Airport Wi‑Fi stole the money. Other possibilities include a phishing page, a previously compromised password, malware or an unsafe app, card details exposed before or after the trip, or an unrelated payment scam.
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What Perth Airport says about its Wi‑Fi
Perth Airport provides free Wi‑Fi in Terminals 1, 2, 3 and 4. Its instructions say to enable Wi‑Fi, select “Perth Airport Free WiFi”, open a browser and register. The airport describes the service as public and says it does not guarantee the security of the service or resources accessed through it. See the airport’s facilities and services page.
That disclaimer is not an admission that the network was hacked. It means users should not treat public internet access as equivalent to a trusted home or mobile connection. Even the correct network name does not make a banking session risk-free.
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How an “evil twin” airport Wi‑Fi attack works
An attacker can create a hotspot with a name resembling an airport, airline, hotel or café network. A captive portal then imitates a sign-in page and asks for an email address, social-media login or other personal details. Captured credentials may be reused against email, cloud, social or financial accounts.
In a relevant Australian case, the Australian Federal Police alleged that a Perth man operated fake airport and in-flight Wi‑Fi services that redirected users to imitation pages. Contemporary coverage said the pages sought email or social-media credentials that could expose further personal information, including bank details. A later ABC report described his conviction and jail sentence. The allegations and conviction are separate from de Castro’s incident; they do not prove her transactions came from a fake Perth network.
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Joining public Wi‑Fi does not automatically let an operator read every password. Banking websites and apps normally encrypt traffic. More credible risks include connecting to a malicious look-alike network, entering credentials into a fake portal, accepting an unsafe certificate warning, reusing a captured password, or using an outdated or infected device.
Why genuine public Wi‑Fi still deserves caution
- Network names can be copied, and the strongest signal is not necessarily legitimate.
- Captive portals are easy to imitate.
- Other devices on a public network may be hostile.
- Travellers are often rushed, distracted or dealing with unfamiliar prompts.
- Unencrypted services can reveal metadata even when properly protected banking traffic remains encrypted.
Privacy and account security are separate issues. ABC reported criticism in 2024 of Perth Airport Wi‑Fi terms that appeared to grant broad rights over uploaded content. The airport said the wording was a standard internet-service-provider term, that it did not use Wi‑Fi-related customer content and that it would review the wording. That dispute is not evidence that the airport used Wi‑Fi to take banking funds. Read the ABC coverage for that context.
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Safer ways to get online while travelling
| Option | Advantages | Limitations |
|---|---|---|
| Mobile data, roaming or travel eSIM | Usually the simplest choice for banking; avoids joining airport Wi‑Fi. | Roaming charges, device-lock or compatibility requirements, variable coverage and data allowances. |
| Personal hotspot | Uses your own cellular connection and avoids a public network. | Consumes battery and mobile data; may be costly abroad. |
| Verified airport Wi‑Fi | Free and useful where cellular service is weak or expensive. | Still public; network names and portals can be spoofed. |
| VPN | Can reduce exposure to local network observers. | Does not stop phishing, fake portals, malicious apps or a compromised device; adds another service provider that can see connection metadata. |
If you want cellular data, compare your carrier’s roaming plan with a travel eSIM such as those offered by SimCorner. Check destination coverage, phone compatibility, activation requirements and current pricing before purchase. No particular eSIM or VPN can be said to have prevented de Castro’s loss.
Before connecting to airport Wi‑Fi
- Update your phone, computer, browser and banking app before departure.
- Enable multi-factor authentication, preferably an authenticator app or passkey where supported.
- Use unique passwords for email and banking.
- Install banking apps only from the device’s legitimate app store.
- Turn on transaction alerts and, where available, reduce card or transfer limits.
- Save the bank’s official international contact number separately.
If you must use the airport network
- Verify the exact SSID from airport signage or the airport’s official website. Avoid similar spellings or extra words.
- Do not enter banking passwords, card numbers, one-time codes or wallet recovery phrases into a Wi‑Fi portal.
- Do not provide an email or social-media password unless the purpose is clear and the page is independently verified.
- Avoid banking, high-value purchases and account recovery when cellular data is available.
- Turn off automatic Wi‑Fi joining, disable file sharing and device discovery, and forget the network afterward.
- Use a VPN only as an additional privacy layer—not as protection from a fake login page.
These precautions align with advice attributed to the AFP in The Guardian’s coverage of the fake-network case.
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What to do if money or credentials may be exposed
- Contact your bank immediately through its official app, card number or website.
- Freeze or cancel the affected card and report every unauthorised transaction.
- Ask whether the account, digital wallet or transfer facility also needs locking.
- From a trusted connection, change the exposed password and every other account that reused it.
- Sign out of all active sessions, revoke unfamiliar app access and remove unknown devices.
- Check email forwarding rules, recovery addresses and phone numbers for unauthorised changes.
- Contact the airline or merchant shown in the transaction if your bank requests it.
- Keep screenshots, timestamps, transaction references, Wi‑Fi names and suspicious portal details.
- Report suspected cybercrime or identity theft to the relevant Australian authorities and your bank.
Do not wait for investigators to prove the Wi‑Fi was responsible. Unauthorised transactions require prompt banking action regardless of the eventual cause.
Bottom line
De Castro’s reported $399 loss followed Wi‑Fi use at two airports, but no available evidence identifies the responsible network or proves Perth Airport’s official service caused it. The practical lesson is narrower and more useful: public networks can facilitate look-alike hotspots, phishing and credential theft, so use mobile data for sensitive tasks where possible and contact your bank immediately when transactions look wrong.
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