Meghalaya govt cautions tourists against fake hotel websites and scammers

Tourism Directorate has asked tourists to be careful of fraudsters and check before booking hotels and making payments

The Meghalaya government has sounded an alarm over the surge in the number of fake hotel websites and scammers targeting tourists who are planning to visit the state.

The Directorate of Tourism, Meghalaya Government said that fraudulent websites are impersonating legitimate hotel websites and booking portals in an effort to defraud customers. The Tourism Department has already taken a strong exception to this and has issued an advisory urging everyone to be alert and keep an eye out for fake portals.

In the advisory, the Directorate said that the fraudulent websites may appear as the actual pages and exploit unsuspecting customers.

The Directorate in an effort to check this menace has appealed everyone to:

1. Verify the source and check the authenticity of the pages or booking agent before making any payment. The government has advised to refer to the list of verified accommodation units in the department’s official portal or the Android/iOS App.
2. Contact official authority if anyone comes across any suspicious webpage or scam activities. The government has urged people not to hesitate to report such activities to the Tourism department or the police
3. Avoid providing personal information to anyone unless they are proven to be authentic. It has been advised to exercise extreme caution when the website or booking agent is asking for unnecessary information
4. Stay alert of scams and pay attention to any small detail that reveal signs of fraudulent activity
   The Directorate has also reached out to the people appealing them to provide information to the government through various social media platforms in case they come across any fraud website or scammers.

Meghalaya is a popular tourist destination of northeast India. It gets a large number of national and international tourists round the year.

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