At least six persons have been duped to the tune of several lakhs by a fraudster who had created a bogus website of a three-star hotel in Vile Parle (east) and accepted money from them on the pretext of giving bookings. When the victims reached the hotel they learnt that they had been duped as their bookings were not there at the hotel.
According to the Vile Parle police, a fraudster had created a bogus website of a hotel in Vile Parle and had also put up his contact number on the said website. Unsuspecting customers had contacted the said person after surfing on the said website and had paid money for booking in the hotel.
"When some of the customers who had booked for the hotel rooms through the said bogus website had reached the hotel, they were informed that they had been duped as the website and contact number was not of the hotel. The matter was then reported to the police," said a police officer.He added, "We have got the bogus website details and the number mobile on which the victims had contacted. So far six victims have come forward, but we suspect more people could have been duped. Efforts are on the ascertain the IP address used to create the website and the location of the fraudulent mobile number."The police have registered a case under sections 419 (cheating by personation) and 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property) of the Indian Penal Code and sections 66C (identity theft) and 66D (cheating by personation by using computer resource) of the Information Technology Act.
