New Delhi: Online scams are a dime a dozen these days. Banks and financial institutions keep alerting customers not to fall prey to such traps.Scamsters are now spreading out to different other areas in an effort to dupe unsuspecting victims.The Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), under the Union Home Ministry, has flagged a surge in digital scams targeting religious tourists.The warning comes at a time when thousands of devotees are preparing to embark on the annual Char Dham Yatra pilgrimage — covering Kedarnath, Gangotri, Yamunotri and Badrinath — which has opened its doors to the public for 2025.According to the Home ministry’s I4C, cybercriminals are trying to exploit religious sentiments of pilgrims by creating fake websites and social media accounts that resemble genuine service providers.Those fraudulent platforms are advertising services like helicopter bookings for Kedarnath, guest house and hotel reservations, cab or taxi service bookings, and even complete holiday or religious tour packages.Messages are spread through misleading Facebook posts, WhatsApp messages, and paid advertisements on search engines like Google.The modus operandi of these cyber criminals is using professionally designed websites and offering discounted rates to lure innocent common people, who are often made to make advance payments for services which ultimately turn out to be non-existent.I4C has urged people to remain vigilant and not succumb to offers that appear too good to be true.The public have been recommended to be careful about the authenticity of websites and agencies they are dealing with, and choose official portals and government-authorised platforms only.If anyone comes across any suspicious website or advertisement, it must be reported to the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (www.cybercrime.gov.in).The I4C has flagged the following services which could be fraudulent: Helicopter booking for Kedarnath, Chaar Dhaam-* Guesthouse and hotel booking for pilgrim* Online cab/taxi service bookings,* Holiday packages and religious tours.People have been advised to exercise extreme caution:* 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.* Report such websites immediately at the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal: www.cybercrime.gov.in or call 1930 in case of any frauds.Pilgrims have been advised to book:Kedarnath helicopter service via — https://www.heliyatra.irctc.co.in.
Somnath Trust’s official website — https://somnath.org and guest house booking can be done via same.
