Kerala Travel Mart Society cautions tourists against online hotel booking fraud

Kochi, Nov 15 (PTI) Kerala Travel Mart Society (KTM), country's leading tourism and hospitality industry body, on Saturday warned travellers visting the state to be cautious of online fraudsters, citing cases involving some leading travel-agency websites, particularly in Kochi and Kumaraokom.

In a statement, KTM President Jose Pradeep urged international tourists and domestic holidayers to be “extremely cautious” while booking online, as the in-bound tourism season gets underway.

According to him, fraudsters have been targeting guests who have already made room reservations, attempting to mislead or extort them through phone calls or text messages, especially in major destinations like Kochi and Kumarakom.

The fraudsters try to coerce the guests into making advance payment. Guests, who reguse or attempt to backout are threatened with booking cancellation or pressured to pay for higher-category rooms immediately, KTM Society noted in the statement.

Scammers typically collect money through QR codes or payment links after gaining trust by sending ID cards, which are fake, of hotel employees.

“Several tourists have complained of losing huge sums. This has prompted us ( KTM) to issue a message of caution," Jose Pradeep said.

Before making any payment, it is ideal to call the official number of the hotel directly to verify the authenticity of the information, he said.

KTM’s member-hotels have been cautioned against falling prey to such scams on their websites and vouchers.

The KTM, founded in 2000, is Kerala’s biggest body of stakeholders in the state’s tourism, the statement added. PTI LGK ROH