A sophisticated cyber fraud has been exposed involving a fake website impersonating the New Kumara Krupa State Guest House in Bangalore, highlighting yet another case of online booking scams targeting customers.
The fraudulent site was used to convince people to book rooms at the government-run guest house, collect online payments, and issue fake booking confirmations before victims realized they had been deceived. The Central CEN Crime Police in Bengaluru is looking to register an FIR and investigate the cybercrime network behind the scam.
The police later found out that a customer lost ₹11,000 when he was trying to book a room through the fake website. Assuming the portal was legitimate, he paid online and received what appeared to be a genuine booking confirmation and invoice bearing the name of the government guest house. The customer only later discovered that he was not booking through the official platform and contacted the cybercrime police.
Police traced one suspect to the fraudulent operation as part of the initial investigation. The suspect admitted to having participated in the scam and refunded the victim the amount of money, investigators said. However, since the complainant later did not file a formal complaint after receiving the refund, the initial legal proceedings could not be conducted. Nevertheless, authorities had come to realize that other individuals might have been affected by the same fake website.
To prevent further fraud, police contacted the management of the New Kumara Krupa State Guest House. Acting on a complaint by Karthik Santhosh, the senior manager of the guest house, the FIR was formally registered under the provisions of the Act on identity theft, cheating, and impersonation through computer resources. Investigators have now widened the probe to identify the persons who created and operated the fake booking portal.
According to investigators, the cybercriminals created a website that looked like the official booking platform of the government guest house. Room categories, availability, booking procedures, contact details, and online payment options were all included to convince users of its authenticity. After customers paid up, the fraudsters would make fake invoices and confirmation messages bearing the guest house name, providing a more convincing image.
Cybercrime officials are now looking into technical evidence of the fraudulent website, including domain registration records, hosting details, payment gateways, bank accounts, digital wallets, IP addresses, and communication logs.
Internet service providers and other entities are also collaborating with relevant bodies to stop the fake website and try to prevent other victims from being targeted.
Investigators say the scam could have affected multiple customers who attempted to make reservations online. Police are still investigating the total number of victims and how much money was made by the fraudsters through the fake booking platform. People who suspect they are being cheated have been told to contact the cybercrime police and provide transaction details in order to assist in the investigation.
Officials said fake booking websites have now become a routine method of cybercriminals. Fraudsters often create convincing copies of websites belonging to hotels, government guest houses, tourism departments, pilgrimage centres, hospitals, and other trusted institutions. They often use similar domain names, copied images, fake customer reviews, and fraudulent customer support numbers to trick users into paying online.
The New Kumara Krupa State Guest House is not the first victim. Police records show that another case was registered in September 2025 when fraudsters used the guest house’s name to make money from customers through fraudulent room booking services. The recurrence of such incidents reflects the increased sophistication of cybercriminals and the need for better digital surveillance of institutions.
Cybercrime experts have warned that criminals are increasingly exploiting public trust in well-known organisations to gain their advantage. Prof. Triveni Singh, former IPS officer and cybercrime expert, said fraudsters reproduce official branding, logos, website layouts, and communication formats, which makes it hard for people to differentiate genuine websites from fake ones. He advised the public to verify website URLs carefully, check official government domains, confirm contact numbers through trusted sources, and avoid making payments without verifying the authenticity of the booking platform.
Experts also recommend checking whether websites use secure HTTPS encryption, verifying domain names for spelling variations, and confirming bookings directly through official customer service numbers before transferring money. Institutions, meanwhile, have been urged to continuously monitor the internet for fraudulent websites using their identity and take prompt legal action to have them removed.
Police have appealed to citizens to remain vigilant while making online bookings and immediately report suspicious websites, fake booking confirmations, fraudulent payment requests, or misleading customer care numbers to the cybercrime helpline or the nearest police station.
Authorities believe increased public awareness, combined with stronger digital enforcement, will play a crucial role in preventing such online scams and protecting consumers from financial fraud.
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