The Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre, under the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, has alerted the public about online booking frauds, especially those targeting Char Dham pilgrims and tourists, across the country.

According to the advisory, fraudsters have been creating professional-looking fake portals and impersonating legitimate travel services. These bogus platforms offer services such as:

Helicopter bookings for Kedarnath or the Chardham yatra

Guest house and hotel reservations for pilgrims

Online cab and taxi service bookings

Holiday packages and religious tour arrangements

Key measures being taken

Scam Signal Exchange: Regular information exchange with IT platforms like Google, WhatsApp, and Facebook is being conducted to enable proactive detection and takedown of suspicious content.

Enforcement: Cybercrime hotspots are being mapped, and concerned State and Union Territory authorities are being sensitised for better on-ground response.

Cyber Patrolling: Efforts are underway to identify and disable fake websites, misleading advertisements, and impersonating social media accounts that deceive the public.

Reporting Tools: The National Cybercrime Reporting Portal now features a suspect checking and reporting mechanism to simplify the process for victims and whistle-blowers.

Centre advises these steps to avoid online booking fraud

Do’s

Always verify the legitimacy of websites before making any payments.

Use official government portals or well-known and trusted travel agencies for bookings.

Be cautious before clicking on “sponsored” or unknown links, particularly on Google, Facebook, or WhatsApp.

Report suspicious websites and fraud cases to the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal: www.cybercrime.gov.in or call 1930 for immediate assistance.

Don’ts

Don’t trust websites just because they appear professional or carry advertisements on popular search engines.

Don’t make payments without receiving proper verification or confirmation of the service.

Don’t rely on WhatsApp or social media messages for bookings unless the source is verified.

Don’t ignore missing confirmations or unreachable contacts – report such incidents immediately.