Before you pay anyone

Travel scams to watch for

Most trips to the hills go smoothly. These are the tricks we hear about most often from travellers to Darjeeling, Sikkim, Kalimpong and the Dooars. Nearly all of them depend on you paying a stranger in advance, so that’s the habit to break.

Our promise

What EdenRoute will never ask you for

  • We only take payment on edenroutetravels.com. We never ask you to pay a UPI ID, phone number or bank account someone sends you on WhatsApp or by phone.
  • We never ask for your OTP, your UPI PIN, your card details over chat, or for you to install a screen-sharing app.
  • We never ask for your Aadhaar number over chat or phone.
  • Every booking gets a confirmation email and appears under My Trips. If it isn't there, it isn't an EdenRoute booking.

Someone claiming to be EdenRoute and asking for any of these is not us. Please report it through Help.

Scams you'll hear about everywhere

Fake hotels and homestays on social media

How it works
A page on Facebook, Instagram or Google shows a lovely property, gives you a WhatsApp number and asks for an advance by UPI to "confirm". When you arrive, the property doesn't exist, the photos were stolen, or the real owner has never heard of you.
Protect yourself
Book verified listings with a real booking confirmation. Check the address on a map. Be very wary of anyone who asks for full payment to a personal UPI ID or bank account.

Packages that are too cheap

How it works
A "4 nights Darjeeling-Gangtok for ₹3,999" offer asks for a large advance. Then the hotels are downgraded, the car never arrives, or permits and entry fees turn out to be "extra".
Protect yourself
Ask for a written itinerary that names the hotels, the vehicle type and exactly what is and isn't included. Only pay the balance once services are delivered.

Permit agents who disappear

How it works
Someone collects ID copies and money for Sikkim protected-area permits, then stops answering, or delivers a permit for the wrong dates.
Protect yourself
Use registered tour operators and check the issued permit before you travel. Never send your Aadhaar or other ID to an unknown number.

Taxi touts at Bagdogra, NJP and Siliguri

How it works
You're quoted a "reserved" fare for a car that turns out to be shared, charged extra halfway up the hill, or told the road is closed so you'll pay for a "special route".
Protect yourself
Agree the full fare, whether the car is shared or reserved, and the drop point before you load your bags. Pre-book where you can, or ask the airport or station for the official rate chart.

Fake customer-care numbers

How it works
You search online for a railway, airline or hotel helpline and call a number that belongs to a scammer. They ask you to install a screen-sharing app (AnyDesk, TeamViewer and so on) or read out an OTP "for your refund".
Protect yourself
Only use contact details from the company's own website or app. No genuine support team needs your OTP, your UPI PIN or remote access to your phone.

QR codes to "receive" a refund

How it works
A "hotel" or "agent" sends you a QR code or payment request to refund money, and entering your PIN takes money out of your account instead.
Protect yourself
Remember that you never enter a UPI PIN to receive money. If it asks for your PIN, it's a payment, not a refund.

Fake "local specialities"

How it works
Blended tea sold as estate first flush, synthetic shawls sold as pashmina, glass or dyed stones sold as turquoise or coral, all at "special tourist prices".
Protect yourself
Buy from established shops and estate outlets, ask for a bill, and assume a big discount on a luxury item means it isn't genuine.

"Road closed, stay with us instead"

How it works
A driver or tout tells you your hotel is flooded, cut off or overbooked, and takes you to a place that pays them commission.
Protect yourself
Call your stay yourself, on the number from your booking confirmation, before you change plans.

Local to Darjeeling

"Pure first-flush Darjeeling" tea from street stalls

How it works
Cheap tea in unmarked packets is sold as premium estate tea. It's often a blend of other teas.
Protect yourself
Buy from estate outlets or established shops, and look for the official Darjeeling Tea logo on the pack.

Toy train tickets from touts

How it works
Someone near the station offers joy-ride tickets for a "sold-out" date at a high markup, and some of those tickets are fake.
Protect yourself
Book only on IRCTC or at the station counter.

Inflated Tiger Hill and sightseeing packages

How it works
Touts sell "VIP" viewpoint access or a "guaranteed sunrise". The viewpoint has a standard entry ticket, and nobody controls the weather.
Protect yourself
Book a car and pay the official entry fee at the gate. Agree the full itinerary and price in writing (a WhatsApp message is fine).

Full Darjeeling guide →

Local to Sikkim

Fake or overpriced permits

How it works
An "agent" collects money for a permit and either never delivers it or charges several times the real cost as a "permit fee".
Protect yourself
Get permits only through a registered tour operator, ask for an itemised price, and make sure you actually see the issued permit before you set off.

"Guaranteed" North Sikkim or Nathu La trips

How it works
A package is sold as guaranteed even though the road may be closed. When it closes, there's no refund or only a small one.
Protect yourself
Before you pay, ask in writing what happens if the road or permit is cancelled.

Cash-only "advance to hold the car"

How it works
Someone asks for a large cash or UPI advance to "lock" a vehicle for North Sikkim, then stops answering.
Protect yourself
Book through a known operator or your hotel, get a written confirmation with the vehicle details, and keep the advance small.

Full Sikkim guide →

Local to Kalimpong

Homestays that exist only on Facebook

How it works
A village homestay page with beautiful photos asks for full advance payment to a personal UPI ID. When you arrive, the place doesn't exist or has never heard of you.
Protect yourself
Book a verified listing, check the location on a map, and never pay the full amount by UPI to a stranger.

Full Kalimpong guide →

Local to Dooars

Fake safari booking websites and "confirmed slots"

How it works
Websites or WhatsApp agents sell safari or watchtower slots that don't exist, or charge far more than the official fee.
Protect yourself
Use the official West Bengal forest department booking, or book through your stay and ask to see the forest department receipt.

"The park is closed, come to my friend's resort"

How it works
Touts tell arriving visitors that their booking is cancelled or the park is shut, then steer them to a commission-paying resort.
Protect yourself
Call your stay directly on the number from your booking confirmation before you change any plans.

Full Dooars guide →

If it happens to you

  1. If money was taken online, call 1930 straight away, or report it at cybercrime.gov.in. The sooner you report, the better the chance of freezing the money.
  2. Screenshot the chats, the payment reference, the UPI ID or account number, and the ad or page that led you there.
  3. Tell your bank or UPI app and ask them to raise a fraud dispute.
  4. If it involved an EdenRoute listing, host or driver, report it through Help so we can act on our side too.
  • Emergency (police, fire, ambulance)112
  • Ambulance108
  • Cyber-fraud helpline (report within the hour if money was taken)1930
  • India tourist helpline1363

Last reviewed September 2026. Permit rules, park dates, fares and road conditions change, so confirm locally before you travel. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.