Even as such websites and their profiles apparently look legitimate, users who make payments often receive no confirmation or service, and are unable to contact the service providers afterwards.“To protect citizens, I4C urges the public to remain vigilant; verify the authenticity of websites before making any payments; be cautious of clicking on sponsored or unfamiliar links on Google, Facebook, or WhatsApp, use only official government websites or trusted travel agencies for bookings; report suspicious sites via the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal (www.cybercrime.gov.in) or call 1930 in case of fraud,” the official said.For example, the I4C, as part of the alert, suggested that Kedarnath helicopter bookings should be made through the official IRCTC portal: https://www.heliyatra.irctc.co.in, and bookings for Somnath Temple guest houses can be done at https://somnath.org.The official also informed that in a bid to counter the menace, I4C is employing a multi-pronged strategy like scam signal exchange, under which regular sharing of scam signals with intermediaries like Google, WhatsApp, and Facebook to flag and remove suspicious content will be executed.Cybercrime hotspots will be identified and action will be taken after coordinating with the state and UT police. The officials also mentioned that cyber patrolling to proactively detect and take down fake sites, ads, and impersonated social media accounts will be executed.They added that the agency is also considering providing hassle-free reporting through a feature on the cybercrime portal, which now allows quick verification and reporting of suspicious websites.
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