Copied websites, similar email domains: The great lion safari scam

Ahmedabad: In light of the Gujarat State Human Rights Commission (GSHRC) issuing a notice to the state forest department seeking its reply on unauthorized lion safari bookings, it has been revealed that a much bigger scam is flourishing in the area. Department sources have told TOI about the lengths private hotel owners have gone to mislead unsuspecting tourists and redirect online safari bookings away from the official portal.
Identical webpages and similar email domains are just some tricks local hotel owners taking unauthorized safari bookings have used. Not one, there are at least five websites with offerings similar to the official state govt website. Designed to look exactly like the official website, these have a dedicated bookings page and also ask for ID documents like Aadhaar card, driving licence or voter card, a senior officer said.
He said that unauthorized operators have even replicated contact email ID domains from the official site in a bid to make their sites look authentic. The officer said going by the names, it is not easy to tell the private websites from the official portal. The only key difference to look for, he said, was that the govt's safari bookings site does not offer a trip to the Kankai temple, whereas private operators do.
The modus operandi of these operators is simple. They collect tourist names and their ID details and use them on the govt website to obtain official permits. What differs are the charges — Rs 8,000 to Rs 9,000 depending upon the safari vehicle, which are way higher than the govt's rates. Officials say that for an eight-seater Gypsy, the forest department charges Rs 4,500. Its rates for a six-seater vehicle are Rs 3,500 and Rs 2,500 for a four-seater. Safari permit for each vehicle costs Rs 800 on a normal day and Rs 1,000 on weekends.
Forest officials said that hotel employees also book permits in their own name or in the name of a relative. The employee then accompanies the guest till the check post and returns while the guest goes in for the safari. In some cases, a forest staffer related to a hotel's local contact person allows vehicles to pass without stringent checks. Private website owners ensure that the original permit they book through the official website is not given to the tourist. It is given to the local person who takes care of the tourist's lodging and boarding.
Private operators, citing heavy rush, accommodate two small families of two or four individuals in a four-seater vehicle and charge them individually.
The state govt, in a statement, has asked all tourists to use the official website, girlion.gujarat.gov.in and refrain from booking through any other website. The govt stated that only six permits can be booked using one mobile on the official website.