Beware! This Too Good To Be True Free Taj Hotel Stay On Valentine’s Day Could Be A Phishing Attack

Excited to win a 7-day free stay at the luxurious Taj hotel this Valentine’s Day? Sorry to shatter your dreams but the viral message on WhatsApp and social media is fake and can make you a victim of a phishing attack.

Taj Hotel and various state police have advised not to click such link and have warned people that this is the latest trick of online scammers.

The message that has gone viral reads “I received a gift card from TAJ Hotel and finally got the chance to stay in TAJ Hotel for 7 days for free.”

The message comes along with a link. When clicked on the link, a message pops up stating: “TAJ EXPERIENCES GIFT CARD TAJ Hotel sent out 200 gift cards to celebrate Valentine’s Day. You can use this card to stay for 7 days at any hotel in TAJ for free. All you have to do is open the correct gift box. You have 3 tries, good luck!”

While the other offer was: Introduce the Valentine’s Day event at the Taj Hotel to 5 groups or 20 friends on WhatsApp. Share with 5 groups / 20 friends on WHATSAPP (click the “WhatsApp” icon below). Click “Continue” on a link to receive a gift card. Another fraud link is: Complete this short questionnaire to earn Taj experience gift card.

The message is followed by a link which is suspected to have malware hidden in it which could steal data like passwords and bank details from the system or phone once clicked.

Many people have contacted the hotel to know how to avail the benefits after which Taj checked the link and found it to be fake. The chain of hotels on social media has issued an advisory which read, “It has come to our notice that a website has been promoting a Valentine’s Day initiative, offering a Taj Experiences Gift Card via WhatsApp. We would like to inform that Taj Hotels/IHCL has not offered any such promotion. We request to take note of this and exercise due caution.”

Meanwhile, Cyber Police wing of the Mumbai Police has issued an advisory regarding the message. Cybercriminals have started exploiting the craze around the big events like Valentine’s Day. They create phishing links, fake website and give attractive offers to cheat people. Cybercrime experts claim that with such dubious links the attackers could get complete control over the system or phone locking the owner out demanding a particular amount as extortion.