Under the guise of Prayagraj Mahakumbh, the web of cyber thugs has also spread. In the name of hotel booking, these fraudsters are making people their victims. Now cases of fraud have also come to light in Bhopal, the capital of Madhya Pradesh. People are being alerted to book through the official website only.
By Arvind Dubey
Published Date: Sun, 12 Jan 2025 07:37:57 AM (IST)
Updated Date: Sun, 12 Jan 2025 07:37:57 AM (IST)
HighLights
- Mahakumbh 2025 starting from Sunday in Prayagraj
- Many complaints received in cyber crime in a week
- Read the case study and know what is the safe method
Naiduniya, Bhopal. Crores of devotees from India and abroad are arriving to participate in the Mahakumbh starting from Sunday in Prayagraj. Cyber thugs have also started capitalizing on this opportunity. Cyber thugs are targeting people coming from other cities during hotel booking.
An increasing number of devotees from Bhopal are also going to Mahakumbh. During this time, many times while searching for hotels on Google, they are coming in contact with cyber thugs and their accounts are getting emptied. Many complaints have been received in the cyber crime cell in a week. However, complaints of cyber fraud up to Rs 5 lakh are being lodged in the police stations themselves, due to which the complainants were sent to the concerned police station.
Read the case study, after depositing the money came to know that there is no such hotel
- Case-1: Sumit Malviya, a resident of Indrapuri, Bhopal, had searched Google for booking a hotel in Prayagraj on January 4. When I clicked on the website visible at the top, I found the names of many hotels and options for booking.
- For booking for 2 days, he had paid Rs 14 thousand for two rooms in a hotel. When the booking message was not received for a long time and when I called the given number, the number was switched off. It turned out that there was no such hotel there.
- Case-2: A retired forest department employee said that he had searched online for hotel booking. When I called the number given there, card information was asked for payment.
- After telling the caller the OTP, a message came to withdraw Rs 26 thousand from his bank account. Later when I called that person he was blocked. Then he contacted the police.
Click here also – Those booking hotels in Prayagraj should be careful… Cyber thugs have created dozens of fake websites, read the list.
Book only through authorized websites and agencies
- Always book hotels only from government or trusted tourism websites. Never give your personal information on fake websites.
- Make sure the website URL has a green lock symbol, indicating the security of the website.
- While making online payments, use only reliable and secure gateways. Do not make payments through unknown gateways.
- View hotel and booking site ratings and user reviews. It turns out whether it is correct and reliable or not.
- Avoid clicking on suspicious links in any mail or message, especially if it comes from an unknown source.
Also read – Keep these 10 things in mind before going to Mahakumbh
