Travel booking scam: Tips on how to protect yourself from online frauds

Fake travel booking portals also promise of nice food and accomodation with low airfares. If they don't exercise, they may end up losing their hard-earned money to online fraud.

Since the end of Covid-19-induced lockdown in mid-2021, there has been a surge in traveling worldwide including in India.

However, people have to be careful when booking trip online. They offer lucrative tour packages to popular shrines, hill stations in North India, Europe, adventure spots in Australia, New Zealand and other global regions.

They also promise of nice food and accomodation with low airfares. If they don't exercise, they may end up losing their hard-earned money to online fraud.

Lately, there is a spike in such online travel bookingscams in the subcontinent.

Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), which comes under the Ministry of Home Affairs has offered tips on safeguard yourself from such fake onlike tour booking frauds.

-- Do not easily trust lucrative tour package advetisements on Facebook, WhatsApp, X, Google and other social media platforms

-- Before making the payment, always go to the website to check for their authenticity. Also, search for reviews online if other visitors had used the service of that particular company. This will greatly help avoiding fraud firms.

-- If you are travelling to Somnath or Kedarnath, you can directly go to government-run websites-- https://somnath.org and https://www.heliyatra.irctc.co.in, respectively, to crosscheck the bookings

If you or any friend or family fell victim to online frauds, report the crime immediately by calling to toll-free number:1930.

People can also file complaint at the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal: www.cybercrime.gov.in.

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