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Darjeeling Police´s Anti-Fraud Crusade: Publishes list of verified hotels and homestays on official website to protect tourists from online frauds

In response to a rising number of tourists falling victim to cyber fraud during hotel bookings, the Darjeeling police have taken proactive measures by publishing a comprehensive list of hotels and homestays in the district, containing verified details. The initiative aims to protect tourists from making payments to fraudulent bank accounts associated with counterfeit websites and pages impersonating well-known hotels in Darjeeling. Praween Prakash, Superintendent of Police in Darjeeling, urged all visitors to exercise caution and thoroughly verify information found on the internet before making any online payments or advance bookings.

Numerous cases of such fraudulent activities have come to the attention of the Darjeeling police. Superintendent Prakash explained the modus operandi of the scammers, stating that spurious web pages were created in the names of renowned Darjeeling hotels. When tourists searched for hotels online, these pages would often appear prominently in search engine results. Unsuspecting tourists would then call the phone number provided on these pages and proceed to make advance payments as requested. Only later would they discover that the website was fake and that they had fallen victim to a scam.

To combat these crimes, the Darjeeling police have compiled a list of verified hotels and homestays in the district, which can be accessed and downloaded from the official website of the Darjeeling police, www.darjeelingpolice.org. The list, titled "Verified Hotels and Homestays of Darjeeling District as on 15-05-2023," includes essential information such as the name of the hotel, police station, email, official website, address, and contact number. A QR Code has also been provided, directing users to the official page of the Darjeeling Police for easy access to the list. The comprehensive list comprises 1,293 hotels, homestays, and lodges.