Delhi Scam Gang Uses Fake Deaths and Online Ads to Cheat Foreign Flyers on Flight Bookings

 

Assuming you are a foreign tourists, enjoying a cup of chai at a warm Delhi café, getting ready for your homeward-bound flight. You log on to reschedule your flight, click on a customer service number from a Google ad, and before you know it, your holiday becomes a horror story. This is no script for a movie — this is the experience of dozens of tourists caught up in a sophisticated scam operated by a gang in Delhi.

 

The fraud takes advantage of tourists, many of whom become the target of a rapid Google search to modify or reschedule flight tickets. Fake customer service phone numbers, emotional blackmail, and even false reports of unexpected death have been the modus operandi for this syndicate to rip off thousands of dollars from unsuspecting foreigners.

 

The Setup: A Simple Google Search Turns Risky

It begins with a simple online search. A tourists must reschedule or cancel a flight. They search something like "Emirates customer service number" or "Air India reschedule flight." But rather than being sent to the official website, they come upon a sponsored link that seems to be authentic, usually located at the top of the search results page.

 

These bogus ads, listed under the guise of scammers, direct victims to unofficial call centers disguising themselves to be airline staff. The game begins immediately has the tourists are given the number.

 

Step Two: The Emotional Trap

After getting on the call, the scammer is professional and respectful. They may even used the airline's hold music, official-sounding greetings, or ask a confirmation code — anything to establish fa. Then comes the hook.

 

Let’s say the tourist wants to reschedule their flight. The scammer may respond with fake urgency:

 

“I’m so sorry, but the ticket on your booking has just been flagged… one of the passengers is showing to be deceased.”

 

Yes, deceased.

 

This gross falsehood is carefully delivered with sympathy and gravitas, manipulating the victim emotionally. “There’s been an error,” the scammer continues. "This needs to be reported right away to prevent immigration problems."

 

The tourists suddenly become confused, nervous, and hurried. The scammer then makes a sudden move.

 

Fraudulent payments

To "resolve" the situation, the scammer insists they need a processing fee — sometimes too small $100, sometimes much higher — to "reactivate" the ticket, "correct" the system glitch, or cancel the flight.

 

The victims are redirected to a payment portal, which seems authentic but is entirely regulated by the con artists. Some victims reported being asked to install screen-sharing software like AnyDesk or TeamViewer — purportedly to "assist in processing the refund." In reality, it allows the scammer to have distant access to confidential financial data.

 

In some cases, they even deceive tourists into divulging one-time passwords (OTPs) by claiming that they must be provided for verification. IIt grants the gang complete control over the victim's bank-account or credit card.

 

Real Victims, Real Losses

This fraud is not a unique incident. According to recent reports, this deception has been used to defraud international tourists from the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia while they were in India or after they left. While certain people just lost a few bucks, others lost hundreds.

 

One Canadian victim reported that he was making an effort to change a return flight for his elderly father. Having called a number off a Google ad, he was educated that his father had been "marked deceased" in the system and would have to pay a $200 correction fee. Panicked and disbelieving, he paid — only to find later he'd been ripped off.

 

These emotional manipulation techniques work most effectively when peoples are under stress, on the move, or not familiar with local systems. And scammers are aware of this.

 

How the Scam Gang Works

What's unsettling is the level of group that goes into these operations. This isn't a lone basement hacker. Officials suspect that the gang works out of several rented premises in Delhi and deploys a combination of paid advertisements online, fake sites, VoIP calling systems, and even rudimentary English lessons to sound plausible.

 

For certain raids, police seized call scripts, false email templates, and even training manuals for fresh "recruits" on how to speak like airline employees. Nearly all of the targets were foreigners, many of whom were found through internet travel-related searches, reviews, or booking forums.

 

Why Google Ads Are Part of the Problem

The improper use of Google Ads is one of the scam's enablers. These scammers pay to be at the top of Google search results — usually ahead of actual airline websites. Most of tourists believe that the very first link is the safest and that is specifically what the scammers bank on.

 

Though Google has measures in place to identify and purge deceptive advertisements, the number of new sites and Enforcement is complicated by advertisement identities. If a current advertising campaign is blocked, the scammer just creates a new website and buys a new one.

 

Staying Safe: What You Should Do

Incase you are traveling or assisting someone who is, remember these safety tips:

 

Never go by search ads for airline support numbers. Always go to the airline website directly.

 

Never give OTPs or download screen-sharing apps unless you are 100% certain it's a really agent.

 

Make use of reputable platforms or apps (like the airline's mobile app) for ticket amendments.

 

Check domains twice. Official mails will have the airline's domain — not something fake like "airlinesupport123@gmail.com."

 

If it is odd-sounding, just hang up and try again. Use official websites to check numbers.