Railways has blocked 3.02 crore suspicious user IDs and rolled out anti-bot and OTP systems to curb Tatkal scams, making ticket bookings more transparent and passenger-friendly
According to officials, these measures have made the booking system more transparent, secure and passenger-friendly. Earlier, Tatkal tickets would be sold out within seconds of the booking window opening. That scenario has significantly changed now.Because Tatkal tickets are limited and demand spikes during peak seasons, brokers often used illegal methods to manipulate the system. These scams frequently surfaced, prompting Railways to take strong action to curb black marketing and fraudulent bookings.Since January 2025, 3.02 crore suspicious user IDs have been blocked. Railways found that many of these IDs were used to create fake accounts and book tickets illegally. With the anti-bot system now active, the automated software used by brokers no longer works, making Tatkal tickets more accessible to regular passengers.Similarly, Aadhaar-based OTP verification is now mandatory for Tatkal bookings in 322 trains, and the feature has also been extended to reservation counters in 211 trains. When a passenger books a Tatkal ticket, an OTP is sent to their registered mobile number, and only after entering it can the ticket be issued. This has drastically reduced fake bookings and broker activity, as every booking is now tied to a verified mobile number.
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To curb rampant fraud in online railway ticket bookings, Indian Railways has launched a major crackdown. Since the beginning of this year, more than 3.02 crore suspicious user IDs have been blocked. A new anti-bot system has been introduced for Tatkal bookings, and OTP verification has been made mandatory for online Tatkal ticket purchases in 322 trains.
