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Filipino tourist Mej de Castro discovered unauthorised transactions totalling $399 after using free Wi‑Fi at Perth Airport and later Singapore’s Changi Airport. The purchases were for round-trip airline tickets worth 15,067.12 Philippine pesos, according to a PerthNow report published on November 3, 2025. That report did not establish which network caused the compromise—or whether Wi‑Fi caused it at all.
The incident is a warning about public networks and fake “evil twin” hotspots, not proof that Perth Airport’s official Wi‑Fi stole the money.
What happened to Mej de Castro
De Castro was travelling from Western Australia to the Philippines. She used free Wi‑Fi at Perth Airport and then at Changi Airport to send updates to her family. Hours later, she noticed transactions she had not authorised. The charges bought round-trip airline tickets and totalled $399—not exactly $400.
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PerthNow’s account does 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 does not say whether she entered banking or social-media credentials into a Wi‑Fi login page.
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Read the original account at PerthNow.
What is known—and what is not
| Established by the report | Not established |
|---|---|
| Two airport Wi‑Fi services were used. | Which network, if any, was involved. |
| Unauthorised transactions appeared hours later. | Whether a fake hotspot or portal was used. |
| The transactions totalled $399 and purchased return flights. | Whether credentials were entered, how the payments were authorised, or whether the money was recovered. |
The timing is concerning, but it does not prove that Perth Airport’s network caused the loss. Other possibilities include a phishing page, a password already exposed elsewhere, malware or an unsafe app, card details compromised before or after the trip, or an unrelated payment scam. The accurate description is “after using airport Wi‑Fi,” not “Perth Airport Wi‑Fi stole the money.”
How an airport Wi‑Fi “evil twin” can work
An attacker can create a hotspot whose name resembles an airport, airline, hotel or café network. A captive portal then imitates a legitimate sign-in page and asks for an email address, social-media login or other details. Captured credentials may be tried against email, cloud, social and financial accounts, especially when a person reuses passwords.
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Australian Federal Police allegations reported by The Guardian described fake airport and in-flight networks that redirected people to dummy pages. ABC later reported that Michael Clapsis was jailed after a conviction involving fake Qantas Wi‑Fi and stolen personal material (ABC News). Those cases show that look-alike networks are real, but they do not link de Castro’s transactions to either airport.
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Outbyte PC Repair FREERepair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Joining public Wi‑Fi does not automatically let an operator read every banking password. Properly protected banking websites and apps normally encrypt traffic. More credible risks are a malicious hotspot, a spoofed portal, phishing, accepting an unsafe browser warning, password reuse, or a device that is already compromised. A fake network can also collect device and browsing metadata.
What Perth Airport says about its free service
Perth Airport offers free Wi‑Fi in Terminals 1, 2, 3 and 4. Its instructions are 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 its 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 a trusted private connection. Verify the exact network name from airport signage or the airport’s official website; a familiar name or strong signal is not proof of authenticity.
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Separate privacy criticism concerned wording in Perth Airport’s Wi‑Fi terms about uploaded content. Perth Airport told ABC it did not use Wi‑Fi-related customer content and would review the wording. That terms dispute is not evidence that the airport took banking funds (ABC News).
Safer ways to connect while travelling
| Option | Advantages | Limits |
|---|---|---|
| Cellular data or travel eSIM | Avoids joining the airport network; usually the simplest choice for banking. | Requires a compatible, often unlocked phone; coverage, activation and data allowances vary. A travel eSIM provider such as SimCorner should be checked for current destination support. |
| Personal hotspot | Uses your own mobile connection and avoids public Wi‑Fi. | Can consume data and battery and may incur roaming charges. |
| Verified airport Wi‑Fi | Free and useful where cellular service is poor. | Still public; portals and look-alike networks can be imitated. |
| VPN | Can reduce exposure to local network observers. | Does not stop phishing, fake portals, password reuse or an infected device, and adds another provider that can see connection metadata. |
Before connecting
- Update the phone, computer, browser and banking app.
- Use unique passwords for email and banking, with multi-factor authentication—preferably an authenticator app or passkey where available.
- Install the official banking app only from the device’s legitimate app store.
- Enable transaction alerts and, if your bank permits it, lower card or transfer limits.
- Save the bank’s official international contact number separately from your phone’s contacts or messages.
If you must use airport Wi‑Fi
- Confirm “Perth Airport Free WiFi” or the locally published name using airport signage or the official website. Avoid similar spellings or extra words.
- Never enter a banking password, card number, one-time code or wallet recovery phrase into a Wi‑Fi portal. Be cautious even with email or social-media credentials.
- 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 after use.
- Use a VPN only as an additional privacy layer—not as protection against a fake website.
What to do if money or credentials may be exposed
Do not wait until the cause is certain. Take these steps from a trusted connection:
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- Contact the bank through its official app, card number or website—not a link in a message.
- Freeze or cancel the affected card and ask whether the account, digital wallet or transfer facility should also be locked.
- Report every unauthorised transaction and follow the bank’s dispute process.
- Change the exposed password, then change it anywhere else it was reused.
- Sign out of all active sessions, revoke unfamiliar app access and remove unknown devices.
- Check email forwarding rules and recovery addresses or phone numbers; a compromised email account can defeat a banking password reset.
- Contact the airline or merchant shown in the transaction if the bank asks you to.
- Keep screenshots, transaction references, timestamps, network names and suspicious portal details. Report suspected cybercrime or identity theft to the relevant Australian authorities and your bank.
The practical conclusion
De Castro’s $399 loss followed Wi‑Fi use at two airports, but no available evidence identifies a responsible network or proves that Perth Airport’s official service caused it. Travellers should treat public Wi‑Fi as untrusted, prefer cellular data or a personal hotspot for financial activity, verify network and portal details, and contact their bank immediately when suspicious transactions appear.
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