Indore Property Broker Loses ₹1.93 Lakh in Fake Thomas Cook Tour Scam

A property broker in Indore was defrauded of ₹1.93 lakh in a fake overseas tour scheme. Pankaj Hirani searched Google for UK-Europe travel services on June 13 and found a webpage posing as Thomas Cook. After conversations with the fraudster, he was offered a family group tour for ₹8,10,000 with an advance demand of ₹2,00,000.

The scammer instructed Hirani to split payments due to QR code transaction limits. He transferred ₹96,900 on July 3 and another ₹96,900 on July 6 via WhatsApp. The fraudster promised a refund minus ₹60,000 cancellation fee if visas were not processed within seven to eight days. When no visa materialized and refund requests went unanswered, Hirani filed a complaint at Rajendra Nagar police station. Police have registered a case and are investigating the mobile number and bank account details linked to the fraud.