Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) issues an alert on online booking scams through fake websites, deceptive social media pages and posts, and through paid advertisements
The Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), under the Ministry of Home Affairs, Govt. of India, has alerted the public about online booking frauds, especially those targeting religious pilgrims and tourists across India.
In a recent alert posted by the Ministry of Home Affairs on 19 April 2025, the I4C warns that these frauds are being perpetrated through fake websites, deceptive social media pages, Facebook posts, and paid advertisements on search engines like Google.
As per the alert, these scams include professional-looking but fake websites and social media profiles and WhatsApp accounts that offer fake services to scam pilgrims or travellers, 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
Upon making payments through such fraudulent portals, people realise that they have been duped when no confirmation or service is received, and the contact numbers go unreachable.
As per their issued alert, the I4C advises to exercise extreme caution when dealing with online services and notes the following:
- Always verify the authenticity of websites before making any payments.
- 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 fraudulent websites immediately at the National Cyber-crime Reporting Portal: www.cybercrime.gov.in or call 1930 in case of any frauds.
- Kedarnath Helicopter booking can be done via https://www.heliyatra.irctc.co.in
- Somnath Trust’s official website is https://somnath.org and guest house booking can be done via same.
Also note that the official registration portal by Uttarakhand Tourism Development Board (UTDB) for Char Dham Yatra in Uttarakhand is : https://registrationandtouristcare.uk.gov.in, as per an earlier report by Ministry of Electronics & IT, Govt. of India.
Note that online booking scams can appear in various forms, such as, in advertisements on any website or social media, on search results, on apps, promotional links or shared content on social media like Facebook, WhatsApp, X, in fraudulent or fake listings on search or maps, in spam emails or newsletters, etc.
There may also be fake or fraudulent website or apps that impersonate genuine ones and there may even be fake listings on popular hotel or accommodation booking sites too.
As per several news reports, scammers created fake hotel websites or listings and many tourists or travellers have already fallen prey to such online booking scams.
For example, fraudsters had used fake hotel listings to scam over 500 tourists, as per a news report about a multi-crore Goa scam in January this year, where scammers posed as hotel operators and deceived unsuspecting tourists by exploiting loopholes on renowned booking platforms.
As per another news report from February this year, a woman was scammed and lost ₹ 93,600 INR while booking a hotel through a fake listing on Google, and the scammers had even sent her pictures and details of the room.
These were just a couple of examples of fake booking scams that were reported in recent news, but they come in many different forms and appear through different ways or platforms online, as already mentioned above.
So, it is very important to deal with online bookings with extreme caution and to thoroughly verify before undertaking any kind of transactions.
Be very careful and proceed with extreme caution before relying on any advertisements, websites, search results, promotions, or posts shared on social media or apps, which you may come across on various platforms or services through the internet.
As per the recent report by the Ministry of Home Affairs, Govt. of India, Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre is taking a multi-prolonged strategy to curb these online scams, such as :
- Scam Signal Exchange - Scam Signals are being regularly exchanged with IT intermediaries, such as, Google, WhatsApp, or Facebook, for proactive detection.
- Enforcement – Cybercrime Hotspots are being identified and State / UTs from where crimes originate are being originated are being sensitised.
- Cyber Patrolling – Access to Fake websites/advertisement and impersonating social media accounts are being disabled periodically.
- A Suspect Checking and Reporting feature is developed on the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal to facilitate a hassle-free reporting.
Despite the measures, it is important to always be alert and watch out for online booking scams.
- I4C alerts public about online booking scams impersonating religious institutions and tourist services - Ministry of Home Affairs, on PIB - Press Information Bureau. Posted On: 19 APR 2025 10:50AM by PIB Delhi.
- Multi-crore Goa scam exposed: Fraudsters fake hotel listings to swindle tourists, over 500 conned - Times of India. TNN, Jan 20, 2025, 02.20 PM IST
- Woman Scammed Of Rs 93,600 While Booking Hotel Through Fake Google Listing, Shares Ordeal - NDTV. Published On Feb 05, 2025 10:31 am IST. Last Updated On Feb 05, 2025 10:56 am IST.
- Char Dham and Hemkund Sahib Yatra 2025: Aadhaar-Based eKYC introduced for faster and secure registration - Ministry of Electronics & IT, on PIB - Press Information Bureau. Posted On: 26 MAR 2025 4:22PM by PIB Delhi.
- Post on X by Uttarakhand Tourism (@UTDBofficial) on March 21, 2025.