Dehradun: Amid ongoing efforts to curb the Char Dham heli-booking scam, the state cybercrime unit has blocked a total of 51 fake booking websites and 111 mobile numbers used in related fraudulent activities across the country.The data, shared by the state cybercrime unit on Thursday, also revealed that 56 bank accounts linked to fraudulent transactions have been frozen. The action was taken with support from the ministry of home affairs’ Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) portal.“We have also reported 30 WhatsApp numbers used to circulate fake heli-booking messages across the country,” said DSP Ankush Mishra of the state cybercrime unit.Mishra added that last year, the police had approached Google to block certain keywords associated with the scam, which led to the removal of several fraudulent websites from search results.“In line with directions from DIG (law & order) Dhirendra Gunjyal, several legal notices were also served to Meta, requesting the removal of fake advertisements related to heli-booking services from its platforms, including Facebook and Instagram. These efforts will continue in the coming days,” he said.Mishra urged the public to remain vigilant and avoid falling for such scams. “We want to remind people that Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) is the only authorised platform for booking Char Dham helicopter services for devotees,” he said. Dehradun: Amid ongoing efforts to curb the Char Dham heli-booking scam, the state cybercrime unit has blocked a total of 51 fake booking websites and 111 mobile numbers used in related fraudulent activities across the country.The data, shared by the state cybercrime unit on Thursday, also revealed that 56 bank accounts linked to fraudulent transactions have been frozen. The action was taken with support from the ministry of home affairs’ Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) portal.“We have also reported 30 WhatsApp numbers used to circulate fake heli-booking messages across the country,” said DSP Ankush Mishra of the state cybercrime unit.Mishra added that last year, the police had approached Google to block certain keywords associated with the scam, which led to the removal of several fraudulent websites from search results.“In line with directions from DIG (law & order) Dhirendra Gunjyal, several legal notices were also served to Meta, requesting the removal of fake advertisements related to heli-booking services from its platforms, including Facebook and Instagram. These efforts will continue in the coming days,” he said.Mishra urged the public to remain vigilant and avoid falling for such scams. “We want to remind people that Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) is the only authorised platform for booking Char Dham helicopter services for devotees,” he said.
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