The government’s counter-period unit issues alerts to prevent fraud against pilgrims

To combat these scams, the Indian Cyber ​​Crime Coordination Centre is working closely with tech giants such as Google, WhatsApp and Facebook to exchange scam signals for proactive detection. File | Image source: Hindu

The Counter-Cycle Crime Department under the Ministry of Home Affairs has issued public alerts for online booking scams for religious pilgrims and tourists across India that provide fraudulent transactions and fraudulent transactions for kedarnath and Chaar dhaam Yatra.

In a news report on Saturday (19 April 2025), the Indian Cyber ​​Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) said in a news report on Saturday (19 April 2025) that complex frauds were conducted through fake websites, including deceptive social media pages on Facebook and deceptive social media pages on platforms such as Google, as well as paid ads on platforms such as Google, and the promise of cheating overwhelmed people to provide travel and accommodation services.

Scams include booking helicopters for Kedarnath, Chaar Dhaam, bookings at hotels and hotels, online taxi and taxi services, and holiday packages and religious tours.

I4C has advised citizens to verify the authenticity of the website before transferring funds, avoiding clicking suspicious “sponsorship” or unknown links on Google, Facebook or WhatsApp. It recommends bookings only through the official government portal or a trusted travel agency. For example, helicopter bookings in kedarnath should only be made via the official portal https://www.heliyatra.irctc.co.co.in, while hotel bookings in Somnath Trust are only made available via https://sommnath.org. I4C also encourages immediate reporting of suspicious websites through www.cybercrime.gov.in or by calling the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal in 1930.

To combat these scams, I4C has launched a multi-pronged strategy. It is working closely with tech giants like Google, WhatsApp and Facebook to exchange scam signals for proactive detection. Cybercrime hotspots are being identified, with state and trade union territorial authorities mobilizing to combat the sources of these frauds.

Regular network patrols are being carried out regularly with fake websites, misleading ads and mocking social media accounts. In addition, I4C has introduced suspicious checks and reporting features on the national cybercrime reporting portal to simplify citizen fraud reporting.