Overview

• The Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) has identified a surge in online booking scams targeting religious pilgrims and tourists across the country.
• Fraudsters use fake websites, social media pages, and paid advertisements to promote services like helicopter rides, hotel bookings, and religious tour packages.
• Victims often realize they have been duped only after payments are made, with services unfulfilled and contact numbers unreachable.
• The government advises verifying bookings on official portals, avoiding unknown or sponsored links, and reporting suspicious sites via the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal or helpline 1930.
• I4C is collaborating with platforms like Google, Facebook, and WhatsApp to detect scams, disable fraudulent content, and enhance cybercrime reporting tools.