New Delhi: The Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), under the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, has flagged a significant rise in online booking scams aimed at pilgrims and tourists across the country.
The scams are particularly targeting Char Dham pilgrims, with cybercriminals setting up fake websites and social media accounts offering services like helicopter rides to Kedarnath, hotel and guest house bookings, taxi reservations and religious tour packages. The Ministry has issued a nationwide advisory, warning citizens against falling for these deceptive platforms.
Fraud Tactics: Imitating Official Portals and Ads
Cyber frauds are being executed through professional-looking but fake websites, deceptive Facebook pages, and sponsored advertisements on search engines like Google. In many cases, these platforms use WhatsApp to communicate and extract payments from users under the pretence of confirming travel bookings.
Victims often realise they’ve been cheated only after they receive no confirmation, and the contact details provided go unresponsive. The ministry’s statement emphasises that users must verify links and websites before clicking, especially when encountering paid ads or unknown platforms.
Public Advisory and Safe Booking Tips
According to the ministry, bookings for helicopter rides to Kedarnath should only be made via the IRCTC’s official portal [heliyatra.irctc.co.in], and bookings for Somnath guest houses should be done through [somnath.org].
The ministry has urged people to cross-check offers and bookings using only official government portals or well-known travel service providers. Any suspicious activity or fraud should be reported immediately on the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal or by dialling the helpline number 1930.
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