Bhubaneswar: With the nine-day Rath Yatra celebrations currently underway, the Odisha Police’s Cyber Safety and Response Team has intensified its on-ground awareness campaign in Puri to safeguard pilgrims, tourists, and locals from cyber threats.
The team has already visited six prominent hotels in Puri and sensitized their management about the surge in fake hotel booking scams targeting devotees during the festival. Hotel websites were assessed, and advisories were issued to rectify any security vulnerabilities.
So far, the Cyber Safety team has directly interacted with more than 1,290 tourists and pilgrims, spreading awareness about various cyber frauds and distributing safety pamphlets among hotel owners, local residents, and other stakeholders.
Today, the team has taken down 7 fake hotel websites that were misleading tourists with fraudulent bookings. On July 19, the police have registered for mobile phone missing complaints on the CEIR portal.
Meanwhile, Odisha Police has appealed to all devotees and tourists to remain vigilant during the ongoing festival. “Verify hotel bookings only through genuine and authorized sources. Avoid clicking on suspicious links and do not share personal or financial details with unverified platforms,” the police urged.
