WITH the ongoing Char Dham Yatra drawing thousands of devotees, sophisticated cybercriminals have intensified their operations, targeting unsuspecting travellers through fraudulent digital channels. The State capital’s Crime Branch and Cyber Police have collectively released an urgent public advisory, warning citizens of a steep rise in online travel-related scams. These fraudulent activities prominently revolve around fake helicopter bookings, deceptive hotel reservations, and non-existent tour packages designed to exploit eager pilgrims. Deceptive tactics, counterfeit portals Law enforcement officials revealed that swindlers are deploying highly convincing methods, including cloned websites, malicious social media advertisements, direct WhatsApp communication, and fake customer helpline numbers. According to Additional DCP Shailendra Singh Chauhan, these networks lure victims by advertising lucrative discounts and extraordinarily low-priced holiday packages.

 

Once pilgrims make advance payments to secure their reservations, the perpetrators cut off all communication, rendering their contact details and web portals entirely inaccessible. Real-life scenarios, severe financial losses Illustrating the severity of the threat, the cyber division cited a case where a traveller was duped after responding to an online advertisement offering an all-inclusive Char Dham tour package for just 4,999 rupees. Immediately after the payment was processed, the host website went offline and the contact numbers were deactivated. In another distinct incident, fraudsters pretending to be booking agents tricked a victim into scanning a fraudulent QR code on the pretext of initiating a refund for a canceled helicopter flight, which resulted in the immediate, unauthorised draining of their bank account. Preventive guidelines for secure travel planning

 

To safeguard pilgrims from falling victim to these financial traps, cyber security experts strongly urge travellers to cross-verify the credentials of any agency before conducting transactions. Recommended practices include performing comprehensive research on hotel ratings, reading independent travel agency reviews online, and securing high-quality digital receipts and screenshots of all financial transactions. Travellers are also reminded to verify the authenticity of domain names, as scammers often create web addresses that closely mimic legitimate tourism boards. Chauhan has advised all pilgrims to book helicopter services strictly through official Government-authorised websites and trusted travel companies. In the unfortunate event of falling prey to cybercriminals, victims are urged to immediately report the incident to the National Cyber Crime Helpline at 1930.