Wednesday, 24 APRIL 2024 | PNS | DEHRADUN
Considering the steady rise in the number of registrations for Char Dham Yatra, the number of cyber frauds targeting pilgrims is also expected to increase this year. About 14 lakh people have registered to visit Char Dham shrines in the past five days out of which nearly five lakh pilgrims have registered to visit Kedarnath temple so far. Since the number of registrations for the Kedarnath shrine is usually higher than other shrines, the maximum helicopter services are also booked for Kedarnath. In the past two years, the authorities observed a significant rise in the number of fraudsters duping pilgrims with fake websites that claim to provide helicopter booking services for the Char Dham shrines, especially Kedarnath. Last year, the cyber crime police station of Uttarakhand State Task Force (STF) blocked about 50 similar websites which were being operated from various parts of the country. The cyber police also took action against eight to 10 accused. Talking about the preparations of cyber police ahead of the Char Dham Yatra this year, the deputy superintendent of police (DSP) of the cyber crime police station, STF, Ankush Mishra said, “Our cyber crime police team is keeping an eye on potential fake websites ahead of Char Dham Yatra that can dupe people to take action against them accordingly. We have also started raising awareness through social media among people across the country.” He said that people must pay attention to payment-related methods before any online transaction. He stated that rather than searching for random websites on Google to book helicopter services, one should visit the official website of the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC). Since many people do not verify the authenticity of the websites they find on Google before booking helicopter service, they become more prone to be the victims of cyber fraud, the DSP said. He also urged the public to provide information about such fake service providers including websites, web links, and mobile numbers to STF. Such details can also be sent on mobile numbers- 9456591505 and 9412080875. He also appealed to people to use only the official website of the IRCTC www.heliyatra.irctc.co.in for the booking of helicopter service for the Char Dham Yatra. “The cyber fraudsters are coming up with new methods to dupe pilgrims every day. People need to be cautious and must book the helicopter service only through authenticated websites,” he added.
