New Delhi: With just a few days left for Valentine’s Day, many businesses and organisations across India are offering unmissable deals to attract couples. One such message is going viral on WhatsApp which claims that the Taj hotels is offering a 7-day free stay to couples on the occasion of Valentine’s Day. The message says that participants could win a coupon or gift card that can be redeemed at Taj Hotels for a 7-day all-paid staycation.

The message reads “I received a gift card from Taj Hotel and got a chance to stay in Taj for 7 days for free.” As soon as you click the link, a message pops up that reads, “TAJ EXPERIENCES GIFT CARD TAJ Hotel sent out 200 gift cards to celebrate Valentine’s Day. You can use this card to stay for 7 days at any hotel in TAJ for free. All you have to do is open the correct gift box. You have 3 tries, good luck!”

If the player wins the gift card then, it will ask the player to go to the next page to redeem the card. The player will then be asked to forward the message to either five groups or 20 individuals on WhatsApp.

The message is fake

However, it turns out that the message is fake and the hotel chain said that they have not offered any such card. The official Twitter handle of Taj hotels debunked the fraud in a tweet and issued a clarification.

“It has come to our notice that a website has been promoting a Valentine’s Day initiative, offering a Taj Experiences Gift Card via WhatsApp. We would like to inform that Taj Hotels/IHCL has not offered any such promotion. We request to take note of this and exercise due caution,” it said.

Cyber Police wing of the Mumbai Police has also issued an advisory regarding the message, suspected to be a phishing attack and urged users not to click on the link. The link in the message is suspected to have malware hidden and clicking it could have serious consequences like your personal data, passwords, bank details being leaked.