Dream cruise turns into cyber nightmare for city man

Hyderabad: An online cruise journey booking turned into a costly cyber fraud after a man from Kachiguda lost Rs 2.42 lakh to fraudsters while trying to book tickets through a fake website.

According to police, on December 26, the victim, while browsing Google, found a website claiming to offer cruise journeys to Kochi, Lakshadweep and Mumbai. Believing it to be genuine, he booked a cruise for four persons and paid an initial advance of Rs 23,680. As he could not transfer the amount in a single transaction, the accused instructed him to make multiple payments.

A Cyber Crime officer said that on the pretext of obtaining Lakshadweep permit letters, the victim was induced to pay additional amounts in several installments, including charges for two children. The accused repeatedly cited technical issues and assured refunds at the time of checkout to extract more money. Later, they falsely claimed payment failures and cancelled the booking without any valid reason.

“The fraudsters demanded Rs 48,500 as cancellation charges, promising a refund of the total amount. The victim was contacted through WhatsApp by persons posing as Cordelia customer care executives, and in total he suffered a wrongful loss of Rs 2,42,488 due to cheating and fraud,” the officer said.

Hyderabad Cyber Crime advised people to be cautious of websites found through search results or advertisements that seek advance payments in multiple installments. Cruise packages should be booked only through official websites or authorised agents.

Do not make payments for permit letters, children’s charges, or add-ons unless clearly mentioned in official booking confirmations. Victims of cyber fraud should report immediately to the 1930 helpline or www.cybercrime.gov.in. In emergencies, they may call or WhatsApp 8712665171.