The Kumbh scams police warned about in 2025 sold things that did not exist: tents, rooms, passes and causes to donate to, offered through websites, social media pages or WhatsApp numbers that were not the authority’s own. To spot one, find the booking channel on the official Kumbh website yourself and check the seller against it before you pay. If you are cheated, call 1930 or report it at cybercrime.gov.in.
What the warnings said in 2025
Before Maha Kumbh 2025 in Prayagraj, the Uttar Pradesh government set up a special Maha Kumbh cyber police station to deal with fraudulent websites, social media scams and fake links. By the end of December 2024, its experts had identified around 50 suspicious websites, according to the Press Information Bureau (PIB).
Police in other states warned their own residents too:
- The cyber police in Pimpri Chinchwad warned of websites taking money for fake bookings of rooms and passes, and of fake requests for donations, Business Today reported in January 2025. The same report described a 75-year-old man in Mumbai who lost about ₹1 lakh to people offering a tent and train tickets; their phones were later switched off.
- In Ludhiana, police said fraudsters had set up fake websites and Facebook and Instagram pages offering tents near the Sangam, The Tribune reported in February 2025. The UP police blocked several sites and arrested people running them.
In April 2025 the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), under the Ministry of Home Affairs, issued a national alert about booking frauds aimed at pilgrims. It said the frauds use professional-looking websites, social media pages, WhatsApp accounts and paid adverts on search engines, offering hotels, guest houses, cabs and religious tours. People who pay get no confirmation, and the phone numbers stop working.
Warning signs
- You found it through an advert or a forward. I4C advises checking before you click any sponsored or unknown link on Google, Facebook or WhatsApp.
- It says “government approved”, but the official site does not list it. The fake tent page The Tribune contacted made exactly this claim.
- You are asked to pay a person. That page wanted an advance in a personal wallet account and refused a video call. Ludhiana police advised people not to pay unknown persons.
- Someone is selling a pass. If a pass or permit is ever announced for a bathing day, get it only through the channel the official notice names, never from a seller.
- It asks for your OTP, passwords or photos of your ID. Never share a one-time code (OTP) or password with a seller.
How to check before you pay
- Start from the official website, not a search result. For 2025, police and the UP government pointed pilgrims to kumbh.gov.in. For 2027, the official Haridwar site, haridwarkumbh.uk.gov.in, has a directory of hotels, dharamshalas, ashrams and camps, and links to the GMVN and KMVN government rest houses. It advises choosing official or verified providers and checking cancellation policies.
- Check the web address letter by letter. The National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal lets anyone check a website under its “Suspect Data” section and report a suspicious one with “Report Suspect”.
- Pay the business, not a person, and keep the receipt, booking number and screenshots.
- Be wary of strangers who offer help. Haridwar’s official guidance asks pilgrims not to accept services or assistance from unauthorised vendors or unfamiliar people, and the 2025 Prayagraj guidance said not to trust strangers.
- Run it through our booking check. It shows what each Kumbh authority has and has not announced.
For Nashik 2027 and Ujjain 2028, wait for the authority’s own announcement before paying for a camp. A seller who says they have early access to a camp is not a substitute for that notice.
If you have been cheated
- Call 1930, the national cybercrime helpline, or report at cybercrime.gov.in. The Home Ministry says its fraud reporting system is meant for immediate reporting, to stop money being moved on, so report the same day.
- Tell your bank or UPI app straight away.
- Report the website or page through “Report Suspect” on the portal, and file a complaint with your local police.
- If you are in danger, call 112.
Before you book anything, read how to verify Kumbh dates before booking and how to choose a stay area. For donations, see daan at the Kumbh.
Sources
- Digital Maha Kumbh: A Confluence of Devotion and Technology · Press Information Bureau, Government of India (Ministry of Culture) ·
- Mahakumbh mela 2025: How to save yourself from scams during online bookings, transactions · Business Today ·
- Beware of fake Maha Kumbh websites, links · The Tribune (Tribune News Service, Ludhiana) ·
- I4C alerts public about online booking scams impersonating religious institutions and tourist services · Press Information Bureau, Government of India (Ministry of Home Affairs) ·
- Cyber Crimes Through Fake Sites · Press Information Bureau, Government of India (Ministry of Home Affairs) ·
- Stay and Accommodation (Haridwar Kumbh 2027 official website) · Haridwar Kumbh Mela administration, Government of Uttarakhand ·
- Pilgrim Dos & Don'ts: Haridwar Kumbh 2027 (official website) · Haridwar Kumbh Mela administration, Government of Uttarakhand ·
- Do's and Don'ts: Maha Kumbh 2025 · Prayagraj Mela Authority, Government of Uttar Pradesh ·
- Emergency Response Support System (ERSS) · Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India ·
