Kolkata: A Behala resident attempting to secure accommodation for an upcoming trip at Uttarakhand fell victim to an online hotel booking scam, losing Rs 1,74,888 through fraudulent representations and deceptive credit card transactions.
The incident unfolded on Aug 17, when the complainant intended to book a hotel room at Nainital and contacted unknown accused persons using an unidentified mobile phone number. Thereafter, the unknown accused personsallegedly made false representations regarding the hotel booking and induced the complainant to make payment through a credit card, assuring him that the amount would be repaid.
The complainant paid Rs 24,000 toward the booking and disclosed an OTP received on a mobile phone, whereupon an amount of Rs 150,888 was debited from the credit card.
In another incident, police have launched an investigation after unknown miscreants stole an iPhone 13, forged its electronic records, and illegally siphoned off Rs 15,000 using a newly created UPI account linked to the device.
The incident occurred on Aug 17, when the smartphone—containing a physical SIM card and an e-SIM—was stolen from the 29-year-old victim from Anandapur when he was visting Deoghar in Jharkhand. The perpetrators managed to tamper with the phone’s digital data and set up an unauthorized UPI account. This despite Deoghar cops recovering the phone in 24 hours and returning it to the victim. Acting on this fraudulent access, the culprits illegally transferred Rs 15,000 from the account without authorization, cheating the account holder after his return to Kolkata three days ago.
Cops have issued urgent security alerts as tourists target popular and offbeat locations like Darjeeling, Purulia, and Chota Mangwa to ring in the upcoming Durga Puja festive season. Cyber cell officials note that fraudsters are operating at dual levels—either posing as agents of premier hotels and directing advance payments into private accounts or floating entirely fake homestays.
Authorities attribute many of these sophisticated operations to cybercriminal syndicates based in the Jamtara-Dhanbad-Asansol belt alongside Mewati gangs, who leverage localized cultural knowledge to deceive unsuspecting travellers. Solo travellers have emerged as primary targets for these networks.
Police across the state have urged netizens to exercise extreme caution, noting that identical website lookalikes are proliferating online. Investigators warn travellers never to pay full booking amounts upfront without independent verification.