1: Fraud with a contact number through Google My Business FAQs:
Please do not call on such numbers for any kind of room booking and secure your rooms by booking through an authentic source.
2: Fraud Website on the property name:
In this scam, the scammer will have a fraud website with the property name without any logo.
You
will see either no logo or a black triangle before the website name.
The scammer might have a contact number also in the URL itself. Once you visit the website,
you can
clearly see and differentiate the fake images being used as they show very luxurious images
on the
website when that’s not the case in reality.
So, don’t pay anything on such websites and be safe from such scams.
3: Fraud using the edited property photo with a
fake contact number:
In this scam, the scammers will use the property photo and edit it with their contact
number. Once a
victim calls on the given number, they’ll overpitch the services in a very small amount and
ask for
a partial booking confirmation payment as a token.
Once the payment is done, the scammer will provide the confirmation saying that your booking
is
confirmed and when the victim visits the property on their check-in date, they’ll receive a
huge
surprise knowing that there is no booking in the property on the Victim’s name.
In the end, as a result the victim will end up losing their hard earned money in this scam.
Neither
refund nor any booking confirmation and a victim has to pay again to book if there is any
room
available in the property. Otherwise, a victim has to look for another property and pay
there.
Signs of Fraud
In Google my business FAQs, a contact number won’t be written in a simple way but it’ll be
written
as something like this: 12%34%56%78%90 - with the signs in between such as “%, &, #, $,
etc.”
A contact number will be mentioned in their fraud website URL itself. They show very
luxurious
photos on their website which can be easily identified that these photos are not real. There
won’t
be any logo of the organization before the website link. You’ll either see no logo or a
black
triangle before the website link.
They will ask for a partial or a full payment to confirm the booking over the call.
On their website, they will not have any WhatsApp button to contact them on WhatsApp. If the
WhatsApp button is there then there will not be a “GREEN TICK” besides their business name.
They will overpitch the accommodation services - they’ll offer you a deluxe kind of room at
a very
small amount which is never possible in reality.
The contact number will be written manually and edited in the property photos.
Tips to Avoid These Frauds
Be alert for such scams/frauds through a fake contact number or a fake website.
Never provide personal information in response to an unsolicited request, whether it is over
the
phone or over the fake website. A trusted company will never ask a customer for highly
sensitive
information during a call they initiated. Never pay any amount to a person's name, it has to
be
legit organization name with a green tick.
Do not respond to any suspicious looking email, calls, or text messages.
Avoid visiting fraudulent sites. Do not click on links in emails that you did not directly
request
from a company or that look suspicious.
Do not call on the contact number from any edited images. Always call on a number received
from a
legit source only.
How to Protect Yourself
Complaints can be reported through helpline number 1930 or on National Cybercrime Reporting
Portal.
You can also contact the nearest police station to file your complaint. You can also file
your
complaint online through cybercrime.gov.in.
If you have been a victim to such a scam, contact your financial institution immediately to
protect
your accounts.
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