Gujarat Police issues public advisory against online scams ahead of festive season

With Navratri and Diwali around the corner, a wave of online offers and benefit schemes can flood mobile phones. Every year, cases of online scams see nearly a 60% rise during the festive months, as per Gujarat Police.

Criminals lure people with discounts, free gifts, or reward links, tricking them into opening malicious websites or making unsafe online payments.

Gujarat Police have issued a public advisory urging people to verify links and offers carefully before clicking, as fraudulent schemes peak during the festive shopping rush. With just a week left for Navratri and a month for Diwali, the online marketplace is already brimming with suspicious offers spread through WhatsApp, SMS, emails, fake websites, and other social media channels. Fraudulent schemes often appear under the guise of branded products.

According to police sources, there has been a sharp rise in online cheating cases during the festive season, 54% in 2023 and 66% in 2024. On average, scams increase by 60% as cyber gangs become fully active, draining victims’ bank accounts or pocketing money for goods that never get delivered. Many such cases go unreported.

Police officials note that fake offers typically involve electronics, jewellery, home décor, and festival items, with links claiming 70-80% discounts or free gifts. Once victims click or attempt payment, their bank details are compromised. Cyber experts estimate that international fraud networks operate over 100 different types of online scam models.

During festivals, fake shopping websites imitating big brands multiply at alarming rates up to 200 times higher, experts say. Victims receive website links or QR codes promising festival discounts, only to be duped into sharing sensitive information. Fraudsters also pose as banks or companies, asking for account verification, which often leads to account hacking.

With high demand for chaniya-cholis, ornaments, and firecrackers, scammers send messages and ads offering 70-80% discounts, or even up to 95% off on firecrackers. Payment links shared through social media trick people into transferring money, after which products are never delivered. Last year, a Chennai-based network running such firecracker scams was busted.