New Delhi, April 19 (UNI) The government on Saturday issued warning about online booking frauds, especially those aimed at pilgrims and tourists across the country.
The Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), under the Ministry of Home Affairs, said these scams are being carried out through fake websites, deceptive social media pages, Facebook posts, and paid advertisements on search engines such as Google, an official statement said.
These scams involve setting up of fake but professional-looking websites and social media profiles and WhatsApp accounts that claim to offer services like helicopter booking for Kedarnath, Chaar Dhaam, guest houses and hotel booking for pilgrims, online cab or taxi service bookings and holiday packages and religious tours.
While making payments through these platforms, unsuspecting individuals often realise that they have been duped only after they receive no confirmation , and the provided contact numbers become unreachable.
The 14C has advised public to remain extremely vigilant and follow safety measures. These are: Always verify the authenticity of websites before making any payment. Verify before clicking on “sponsored” or unknown links on Google, Facebook, or WhatsApp. Cross-check bookings only through official government portals or trusted travel agencies. Report such websites immediately at the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal www.cybercrime.gov.in or call 1930 in case of any frauds.
Official bookings for Kedarnath helicopter services can be done only at https://www.heliyatra.irctc.co.in. For Somnath Trust’s services and guest house bookings, the official website is https:omnath.org.
To contain these scams effectively, the Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre is taking multi-prolonged strategy.
Scam signals are being regularly exchanged with IT intermediaries like Google, WhatsApp, Facebook for proactive detection, the 14C said.
Cybercrime hotspots are being identified and respective state or Union Territories are being alerted and sensitized, it added.
Fake websites or advertisement and impersonating social media accounts access are being disabled to protect citizens. Besides, suspect checking and reporting feature on National Cybercrime Reporting Portal has been developed to facilitate hassle-free reporting.
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