Beware! Online Booking Scams Targeting Pilgrims and Tourists on the Rise: I4C Issues Alert
The Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), operating under the Ministry of Home Affairs, has issued a public alert warning against a disturbing trend of online scams impersonating religious institutions and tourism service providers.
These scams primarily target devotees planning pilgrimages and domestic tourists, by luring them into fake booking platforms with professional-looking websites, social media profiles, WhatsApp accounts, and even paid ads on search engines like Google.
They Offer, services such as:
- Helicopter booking for Kedarnath, Chaar Dhaam
- Guest house and hotel booking for pilgrims
- Online cab/taxi service bookings
- Holiday packages and religious tours
Victims, after making online payments through these shady platforms, realize the fraud only when no confirmations arrive, and the contact numbers stop working.
The I4C has urged citizens to take the following precautions:
✅ Always verify the authenticity of websites before making payments
✅ Do not blindly trust “sponsored” ads on Google, Facebook, or WhatsApp
✅ Book only through official government portals or recognized travel agencies
✅ Report suspicious websites and links on the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal or by calling 1930
📌 Official Booking Portals for Reference
- Kedarnath helicopter bookings: https://www.heliyatra.irctc.co.in
- Somnath Trust and guesthouse bookings: https://somnath.org
What Is I4C Doing to Contain the Scam Surge?
Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre is taking multi-prolonged strategy.
- Scam Signal Exchange - Scam Signals are being regularly exchanged with IT intermediaries, viz. Google, WhatsApp, Facebook for proactive detection.
- Enforcement – Cybercrime Hotspots are being identified and State / UTs from where crimes originate are being originated are being sensitized.
- Cyber Patrolling – Fake websites/advertisements and impersonating social media accounts access are being disabled periodically on to protect citizens.
- Suspect checking and reporting feature on National Cybercrime Reporting Portal is developed to facilitate hassle free reporting.
A new user-friendly reporting mechanism has been rolled out on the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal to make fraud reporting more accessible.
Official Press Release: https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2122832
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