MHA warns citizens of rising online booking scams targeting pilgrims

The Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) has issued a public advisory warning citizens about a growing number of online booking scams, particularly targeting domestic travelers and religious pilgrims. According to the MHA, cybercriminals are taking advantage of the increasing demand for religious tourism by creating fake websites and social media accounts that appear professional and trustworthy.

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These fraudulent platforms are used to offer fake services such as helicopter bookings for religious pilgrimages like Kedarnath and Char Dham as well as hotel, guest house, taxi reservations, and holiday packages. The scammers also use deceptive Facebook posts, paid advertisements on search engines like Google and even WhatsApp communication to appear more legitimate and convince users to make payments or share personal information.

The MHA emphasized that these scams are designed to closely mimic authentic travel platforms, making it harder for the public to distinguish between real and fake services. As a precaution, the ministry urged people to thoroughly verify any website or service provider before making travel-related payments, especially for high-demand religious destinations.

Citizens are encouraged to report suspicious websites or incidents of fraud through the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal at cybercrime.gov.in to help curb such scams.