MHA flags surge in cyber scams targeting pilgrimage bookings

The MHA, through its advisory, requested the public to be vigilant while booking their travel plans online, particularly for religious or high-demand places.

The Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), a wing under the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), on Saturday, released a public advisory alerting citizens regarding an increase in booking scams online, mainly targeting religious pilgrims and domestic travelers.

According to the MHA, cybercriminals are luring unsuspecting travellers through fake websites, deceptive social media handles, Facebook posts, and even paid advertisements on popular search engines such as Google. These platforms are being misused to offer seemingly legitimate services, including helicopter bookings for pilgrimages like Kedarnath and Char Dham, as well as reservations for hotels, guest houses, taxis, and religious tour packages.

"These scams include the setting up of professional-looking but spurious websites and social media and WhatsApp accounts providing services like helicopter booking for Kedarnath and Char Dham. Booking of guest houses and hotels for pilgrims, online cab and taxi service bookings, and holiday packages and religious tours", the MHA has pointed out in its statement.

The ministry stated that such operations tend to resemble legitimate platforms, with professional websites and social media handles to establish trust among victims. In most instances, the scammers also use WhatsApp numbers to interact with their victims, providing an additional layer of authenticity to their operations.

The MHA, through its advisory, requested the public to be vigilant while booking their travel plans online, particularly for religious or high-demand places. It has also advised citizens to check whether or not a website or service provider is authentic before they make a payment or divulge their details.

The I4C has requested individuals to report suspicious activity or fraudulent webpages on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (cybercrime.gov.in).