Overview

• The Crime Branch issued an advisory after receiving 317 complaints via the cyber crime helpline about fraudulent hotel booking websites.
• CID officers have dismantled 11 fake booking sites posing as legitimate hotels in Puri, Bhubaneswar and Cuttack.
• Scammers deploy look-alike websites and social media pages offering below-market rates, demanding full UPI or bank transfers and supplying bogus invoices.
• Authorities recommend verifying reservations through SMS or email confirmations, cross-checking hotel contacts on Google Maps and calling properties before making payments.
• The police’s social media team continuously monitors platforms for fraudulent listings and urges anyone spotting suspicious sites to report them to helpline 1930.