Govt issues alert about online frauds targeting pilgrims, tourists
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New Delhi (PTI): The Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre, under the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, has alerted the public about online booking frauds, especially those targeting Char Dham pilgrims and tourists, across the country.
These frauds are being perpetrated through fake websites, deceptive social media pages, Facebook posts, and paid advertisements on search engines such as Google, the home ministry said in a statement.
The scams involve the creation of professional-looking but fake websites and social media profiles and WhatsApp accounts offering various services.
These include helicopter bookings for Kedarnath, guest house and hotel bookings for Char Dham pilgrims, online cab or taxi reservation, holiday packages and religious tours, according to the statement.
Unsuspecting individuals, upon making payments through these portals, often realise they have been duped when no confirmation or service is received and the contact numbers become unreachable.
People are advised to exercise extreme caution, the ministry said in the statement.
"Always verify the authenticity of websites before making any payments. Verify before clicking on 'sponsored' or unknown links on Google, Facebook or WhatsApp. Cross-check bookings only through official government portals or trusted travel agencies," it added.
The ministry also urged the public to report such websites immediately on the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal at cybercrime.gov.in or call 1930 in case of any fraud.
Helicopter bookings for Kedarnath can be done via heliyatra.irctc.co.in, Somnath Trust's official website is somnath.org that can be also used for guest house bookings.
To check such scams, the Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre (I4C) is adopting a multi-prolonged strategy.
Among the steps taken include scam signal exchange through which scam signals are being regularly exchanged with IT intermediaries such as Google, WhatsApp, Facebook for proactive detection.
Cybercrime hotspots are being identified and states and Union territories from where these originate are being sensitised.
Fake websites and advertisements and impersonating social media accounts access are being disabled to protect citizens.
Suspect checking and reporting features on the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal are being developed to facilitate hassle-free reporting, according to the statement.
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Vartha Bharati launches Kalyana Karnataka edition, releases 23rd annual special issue in Kalaburagi
Kalaburagi: The Kalyana Karnataka edition of the Kannada daily Vartha Bharati was formally launched on Saturday at a programme held at Dr S M Pandit Rangamandir in Kalaburagi. The event also marked the release of the newspaper’s twenty-third annual special issue, a compilation of selected editorials, and the Kalyana Karnataka special supplement.
The programme was inaugurated by Karnataka Legislative Assembly Speaker U T Khader. The Kalyana Karnataka edition of Vartha Bharati was unveiled by Siddharth Varadarajan, Editor-in-Chief of The Wire.
The twenty-third annual special issue was released by multilingual actor Prakash Raj. The book compiling selected editorials of Vartha Bharati was released by B R Patil, Vice-Chairperson of the State Policy and Planning Commission and MLA from Aland. The Kalyana Karnataka special supplement was released by Rahim Khan, Minister for Municipal Administration and Haj.
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Chairperson of the State Waqf Board and Sajjada Nashin of the Khwaja Bande Nawaz Dargah, Hazrat Syed Mohammed Ali Al Husseini, and Kalaburagi South MLA Allamaprabhu Patil were present as chief guests.
Among the special invitees on the dais were Koraneshwara Mahaswamiji of the Tontadarya Anubhava Mantapa, Aland; Bishop Rev Fr Robert Miranda of Kalaburagi; Bhante Varajyothi of Anandur; social activist K Neela; farmers’ leader Chamarasa Mali Patil; DSS state convenor D G Sagar; and activist and singer Ambanna Arolikar.
Speaking on the occasion, Assembly Speaker U T Khader said Vartha Bharati had emerged as the voice of the weak and the voiceless in society and had earned the love, trust and confidence of people across the state. He said the newspaper had carved out a distinct identity in the media landscape and expressed happiness that it was now reaching the Kalyana Karnataka region. He added that Vartha Bharati had remained free from political pressures and inducements and expressed hope that it would continue to stand as a support system for the distressed.
B R Patil said running a newspaper in the present times was not easy, as the media sector had increasingly turned into an industry driven by profit. Amidst such challenges, he said, Vartha Bharati had maintained integrity, honesty and commitment throughout its twenty-three-year journey. He expressed confidence that the newspaper would continue on the same path. Referring to Kalaburagi, he noted that the region frequently witnessed agitations due to the large number of unresolved issues, and said Vartha Bharati should continue to bring the problems and suffering of the people to the attention of the government and contribute to finding solutions.
