Mumbai: The Mumbai Police has warned people regarding the fake Valentine's Day gift vouchers that claim to offer free stay packages at luxurious hotels.
Several people received the fraudulent message on their WhatsApp numbers which claimed the free Valentine's Day gift vouchers in the name of famous companies like Tata. The message claimed to provide free stay at Hotel Taj for 7 days on the occasion of Valentine's Day.
The message also claimed to offer free mobile phones. The link provided in the message takes the person to a form that asks for confidential information and thus leading people to fall victim to Cybercrime.
Taking note of the issue, Taj Hotels also issued an official statement and said, "It has come to our notice that a website has been promoting a Valentine's Day initiative, offering a Taj Experiences Gift Card via WhatsApp. We would like to inform that Taj Hotels/IHCL has not offered any such promotion."
Taj Hotels added, "We request to take note of this and exercise due caution."
It has come to our notice that a website has been promoting a Valentine’s Day initiative, offering a Taj Experiences Gift Card via WhatsApp. We would like to inform that Taj Hotels/IHCL has not offered any such promotion. We request to take note of this and exercise due caution.
— Taj Hotels (@TajHotels) January 30, 2021
This message is also reflected on their official website.
According to DCP Mumbai Cyber Cell, Rashmi Karandikar, these cyber fraudsters do pre-research on particular people before sending the messages.
"They target people who are not well-aware of mobiles phones and their applications. They also target senior citizens," she said.
Rashmi Karandikar added, "So far, the investigation has revealed that these people run the entire racket of online fraud from states like West Bengal, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan."
She also informed that the cyber cell is now trying to get to the bottom of this entire network and is also investigating the employees of mobile service provider companies whether they are involved in this scam or not.
