Guwahati: The Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) under the Ministry of Home Affairs on Saturday issued a nationwide warning, cautioning the public about the surge in online booking scams targeting religious pilgrims and tourists across India.
According to the official release by the 14C, the fraudsters carried out these fraudulent activities through fake websites, deceptive social media accounts, bogus WhatsApp numbers, and sponsored ads on search engines such as Google.
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The 14C stated that the scammers are creating professional-looking but fake platforms offering holiday packages and religious tour packages, helicopter bookings for Kedarnath and Char Dham, hotel and guest house reservations for pilgrims, and online cab and taxi booking services.
The victims, after making payments through these fake portals, often receive no confirmation or service, and find that the provided contact numbers become unreachable, the advisory noted.
Following the cyber outbreak, I4C urged the public to verify the authenticity of websites before making any payments.
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It advised the public to avoid clicking on “sponsored” links or unknown ads on Google, Facebook, and WhatsApp.
Further, 14C acknowledged the public to use only official portals or verified travel agencies for bookings, and report suspicious activity at www.cybercrime.gov.in or by calling the national helpline 1930.
Public can book the helicopter service for Kedarnath via heliyatra.irctc.co.in, and for guest house booking public can use Somnath Trust’s official website, somnath.org, the release noted.
The I4C affirmed that the Ministry has been taking a multi-pronged strategy to contain these scams, including identifying cybercrime hotspots across the countries.
It stated that the centre has disabled fake websites/advertisements and impersonating social media accounts access to protect citizens.
Moreover, the centre has developed a suspect checking and reporting feature on the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal to facilitate hassle-free reporting,” the 14C added.