Are you looking for a good hotel to stay in Puri? Obviously you will search on social media and Google. The beautiful rooms, sea facing verandah pictures in the website will grab your attention and you can book a room.
The website provides a WhatsApp mobile number and email ID, and you can contact what you think is a hotel. They respond and ask you to transfer 50 percent of the booking amount in advance, which you do. When you reach Puri, you find that not only no booking exists in your name, but the hotel has not received any money as advance. In fact, the hotel personnel don’t even know you exist!
This is what is happening with various tourists since last four months. Many of them have fallen prey to such fraudulent tourist websites.
Kolkata Police has found some cases and has launched a drive to expose these fraudulent activities. “The Hotel That Never Was!” Is that the title under which the Do’s and Don’ts have been given by Kolkata Police
Between September and November, Cyber Police Station Lalbazar received more than one complaint related to such fake hotel bookings, especially for Puri, a popular holiday destination for Kolkatans.
While our investigation is underway, we request all of you to follow some basic precautions while transacting online:
- Check the domain name closely, and make sure it matches the service provider’s name in all respects
- Look for a padlock symbol next to the website URL
- Use Website Checker or Safe Browsing Tool
- Watch for misspellings, design issues, and other red flags
- Check domain age using online tools
- Beware of deals that sound too good to be true
- For hotel bookings, check user reviews and report scams
- Carefully read the information like shipping and return policy
- Check Your Payment Options
- Don’t be fooled by ‘trust signs’ like claims of rewards etc. check if they are authentic
- run virus scan
Speaking to News18, Kolkata Police DC Cyber Crime Atul Vishwanathan said: “We have a few cases, we felt that awareness is important in these cases. So we have already started a campaign on social media, also we are going to share it.” Planning to include it in cyber crime awareness program in schools.
Hotel owner Ashish Kapoor in Puri said that many tourists come to his hotel with such fake bookings. Talking to News18, Ashish said, ‘This is happening since last 6 months and this is not only happening with me, but 20 other hotels are also facing this problem.
There are some gangs who have created fake accounts in the name of our hotels and they are duping tourists. We have complained to Cuttack SP as well as Kolkata Police. When we block one fake account, another one pops up.”
read all latest india news Here