Police warn of fake firecracker sales, parcel links and bogus bookings before Diwali. Nationwide online fraud losses topped ₹22,495 crore in 2025.
Police have warned shoppers about three festive tricks ahead of Diwali 2026: fake firecracker websites, a courier scam that uses a malicious app, and fake booking sites. The Times of India reported the warning. The common thread is a message or deal that pushes you to act fast and pay.
The fake firecracker sites offer discounts that are too good to be true. Buyers are sent to unofficial payment accounts or messaging contacts. In the courier scam, a message says your parcel needs an address update or a small fee. The link may install a malicious app on your phone. The third warning covers fake train, bus and hotel bookings, often when real seats are sold out.
The national numbers cover all online financial fraud, not just festival cases. Home Ministry figures show reported losses of ₹22,495 crore in 2025, down slightly from ₹22,848 crore in 2024. A crore is 10 million rupees. Complaints still rose about 25%, to 24,02,579. The reported reports do not show that losses peak at festival time, so there is no reason to panic. They do show how common these scams are.
Anyone shopping online or expecting a parcel or gift is a target. So are travelers booking trains, buses or hotels. Families should talk to older relatives. Senior citizens filed 1,03,488 complaints in 2025, with ₹4,005.12 crore in reported losses. Those groups overlap with others and the figures do not measure who is most at risk.
Urgency is the common thread: pay now, keep it secret, or lose your account or prize. Treat that pressure as a reason to check the claim yourself. Typical bait in the material includes:
There is no legal procedure called a digital arrest. In these scams, a caller claims a parcel, SIM card or bank account is linked to a crime. The victim is kept on a video call and told to move money. Trading apps are another trap. One Noida woman told police she sent nearly ₹1 crore into a scheme. An app showed gains, but withdrawals were blocked and more money was demanded.
The alert box above lists the steps. If you have already paid, speed matters. Contact your bank and report it on 1930 or cybercrime.gov.in. Do not pay anyone who offers to recover the money for a fee. That is a second scam.
The reports do not say how many people have lost money to the Diwali 2026 scams so far. They also do not say which sites or apps are involved.
If a deal, parcel message or caller pushes you to pay fast, stop and check it yourself, and never share an OTP or UPI PIN.
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