Char Dham Yatra 2025 starts: Home Affairs Warns Pilgrims against booking scams online
With Char Dham Yatra (covering Kedarnath, Gangotri, Yamunotri and Badrinath), open for devotees in 2025, the Home Office issued a public warning warning to pilgrims towards online booking fraud cases.
The Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), which operates under the Ministry of Home Affairs, announced a surge in digital scams targeting religious tourists. The warning is issued as thousands of devotees prepare to embark on the annual pilgrimage to the sacred ruins of Uttarakhand.
According to the ministry, cybercriminals are exploiting the religious sentiment and urgency of pilgrims by creating fake websites and social media accounts that are very similar to real service providers. These fraudulent platform advertising services, such as helicopter bookings, hotel and hotel bookings, taxi or taxi service bookings for Kedarnath, and even full holiday or religious travel packages.
These scams are often spread through misleading Facebook posts, WhatsApp messages, and paid ads on popular search engines such as Google. Criminals use professionally designed websites and offer discounted prices to attract unsuspecting victims, often resulting in advance payments for non-existent services.
The I4C has urged the public to remain vigilant, not to achieve a real offer rather than falling. It recommends bookings only through the official portal and government-authorized platforms.
Char Dham Yatra is considered one of the most sacred pilgrims in Hinduism, attracting hundreds of thousands of devotees from all over the country every year. With the rise of digital fraud, authorities stressed that pilgrims should carefully check the authenticity of the websites and agencies they are dealing with.
It is also recommended that pilgrims report any suspicious websites or advertisements to the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal (www.cybercrime.gov.in) to help curb such activities.
With the pace of the Yatra season, the government’s message is clear: Don’t let fraud destroy your spiritual journey – stay alert and book safe.
