Soumya Prakash Pradhan

The internet has made it possible for people to apply for passports from the comfort of their homes. With the rising demand for passports, scammers have taken advantage of unsuspecting victims by creating fake passport websites that look exactly like the official government websites.

These fake websites are designed to rob people of their personal and financial information, leaving them vulnerable to identity theft and other financial crimes.

Identifying Fake Passport Websites:

The first and most obvious thing one needs to do is to look for the official government website URL, which is www.passportindia.gov.in. Any other URL is likely to be fake.

Some of the fake passport websites include indiapassport.org, online-passportindia.com, passportindiaportal.in, passport-india.in, passport-seva.in, and applypassport.org.

However, it is important to note that new fake websites are constantly popping up, so it is essential to be vigilant and double-check before entering any personal or financial information.

The second way to identify fake passport websites is to look for the presence of an SSL certificate. An SSL certificate is a digital certificate that authenticates the identity of a website and encrypts all data transmitted to and from the website.

Official government websites will always have an SSL certificate, which is indicated by the lock icon in the address bar. If the website you are on does not have an SSL certificate, it is likely to be a fake website.

Thirdly, never enter personal or financial information on any website that you are unsure of.

Lastly, report any fake passport websites to the authorities, such as the Cyber Crime Cell, so that action can be taken to shut them down and prevent others from falling victim to the same scam.

However, by being vigilant and taking the necessary precautions, you can protect yourself from falling victim to this scam.

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