Fake ticket offices and tourist information centres in India

A stranger offers directions to a ticket office, sometimes calling it an office for foreigners. It is actually a tour agency, often away from the station. You are overcharged or pressured into cars and tours. Wrong directions to a friend's tour office also occur elsewhere in India.

Someone approaches you before you ask for help. They lead you away from the station to an ordinary building. A simple ticket request turns into a sales pitch for tours or cars.

Book train tickets through IRCTC or buy them at the station. Ask at an enquiry counter rather than following a stranger. Check an information centre independently before paying. Leave if staff pressure you to buy unrelated services.

Stop further purchases. Keep receipts and booking details, then check your tickets independently.

Around railway stations and in unofficial tourist information offices It has been reported in Delhi.

Common. Scams and touts are common in India's tourist areas, especially in Delhi and around transport hubs. Common problems include inflated fares, short change, false claims about hotels, fake ticket offices and pressure to buy goods or tours. India is generally safe for foreign visitors who take basic precautions against petty crime and theft.

Yes: fake train boarding-pass requirement, station entrance blockers.

Emergency services: call 112 for immediate danger or urgent police, fire or ambulance help. Give your location and speak slowly. Nearest police station: visit in person for non-emergency crimes. For a serious crime, insist on a first information report, or FIR, and obtain a copy. Local police cybercell: make a complaint about internet scams, card skimming or other cybercrime. Bring transaction records and saved messages. National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal: use the government portal to report cybercrime. Keep a record of your complaint. Ministry of Tourism helpline: call 1363 or 1800-11-1363 for tourist assistance. The helpline operates 24 hours a day. Bank, card issuer or payment provider: use its official app or contact number to block compromised cards or accounts, flag the fraud and ask about disputed payments. Embassy or consulate: contact your country's embassy or consulate through its official contact details if your passport is stolen or you need consular help. Travel insurer: report the loss promptly. Keep police reports, receipts and evidence of the stolen items or disputed payments. Bengaluru auto-rickshaw complaint service: record the driver's identification number. A BBMP control room contact is listed as +91 80 22975803, but it dates from December 2009. Confirm that it still handles these complaints before relying on it.

National emergency services: police, fire and ambulance: 112, Ministry of Tourism 24-hour tourist assistance: 1363, Ministry of Tourism alternative helpline: 1800-11-1363.