I4C alerts about fraud in Char Dham bookings

The Union home ministry’s Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) has alerted the public about online booking frauds, especially those targeting Char Dham pilgrims and tourists across the country.

 In a statement issued on Saturday, the MHA said these frauds are being “perpetrated through fake websites, deceptive social media pages, Facebook posts, and paid advertisements on search engines such as Google”.

“These scams involve the creation of professional-looking but fake websites and social media profiles and WhatsApp accounts offering services such as helicopter booking for Kedarnath, Char Dhaam, guest house and hotel booking for pilgrims, online cab service bookings, holiday packages and religious tours,” the statement said.

It added: “Unsuspecting individuals, upon making payments through these portals, often realise they have been duped when no confirmation or service is received and the contact numbers become unreachable.”

Advising people to exercise extreme caution, the statement said: “Always verify the authenticity of websites before making any payments. Verify before clicking on ‘sponsored’ or unknown links on Google, Facebook or WhatsApp. Cross-check bookings only through official government portals or trusted travel agencies.”

The ministry also urged the public to report such websites immediately on the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal at cybercrime.gov.in or call 1930 in case of any fraud.

Helicopter bookings for Kedarnath can be done via heli yatra.irctc.co.in, Somnath Trust’s official website is somnath.org that can be also used for guest house bookings.

Asserting that to check such scams, the Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre (I4C) is adopting a multi-pronged strategy, the MHA said the steps include scam signal exchange through which scam signals are being regularly exchanged with IT intermediaries such as Google, WhatsApp, Facebook for proactive detection.

“Cybercrime hotspots are being identified and states and Union territories from where these originate are being sensitised. Fake websites and advertisements and impersonating social media accounts access are being disabled to protect citizens. Suspect checking and reporting features on the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal are being developed to facilitate hassle-free reporting,” according to the statement.

MHA had approved the I4C as a central sector scheme within the ministry’s Cyber and Information Security (CIS) Division with an outlay of ₹491 crore on October 5, 2018. Its primary objective is to establish a national-level coordination centre for addressing all issues related to cybercrime across the country.

Union home minister Amit Shah said in September last year that as many as 5,000 cyber-commandos, a core group of highly trained police officers who instantly respond to and prevent cyber-attacks in the country including critical infrastructure and important institutions, will be ready in five years.

“These commandos will handle IT infrastructure security, digital forensics and incident response,” he had said.