Hyderabad man loses Rs 2.42 lakh in online cruise booking scam

A Hyderabad man was cheated of over Rs 2.42 lakh by fraudsters posing as cruise booking agents. Lured by an online offer, he was made to pay multiple charges before the booking was cancelled. Cybercrime police have registered a case.

Hyderabad: A man from the city fell victim to an online cruise booking scam, losing over Rs 2.42 lakh to fraudsters posing as travel service providers.

According to the complaint, the victim from Kacheguda came across a website offering cruise trips to Kochi, Lakshadweep, and Mumbai while searching online on December 26, 2025.

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Believing the offer to be genuine, he booked a cruise for four people and made an initial payment. The fraudsters then persuaded him to transfer money in multiple instalments, citing transaction issues.
Subsequently, the accused demanded additional payments for Lakshadweep permits, child charges, and other add-ons.

The victim was repeatedly assured that excess amounts would be refunded at the time of checkout.
Later, the booking was abruptly cancelled on the pretext of payment failures, and the victim was asked to pay a large cancellation fee to process a refund.

The victim was contacted through WhatsApp by individuals impersonating customer care executives of a reputed cruise operator. In total, he suffered a loss of Rs 2,42,488 due to the fraud.

Based on the complaint, the Hyderabad Cybercrime Police have registered a case and urged citizens to book travel services only through official platforms and to report cyber frauds immediately on the 1930 helpline or the cybercrime portal.