Archana Puran Singh, a veteran actress and television personality, had a horrifying test of her life when she and her family went on a vacation to Dubai recently. Speaking openly of her most recent vlog today, the actress revealed that she had become the victim of an internet-based scam during her attempt to reserve a flight to indoor skydiving with iFly Dubai, a tourist favorite in the city.
Archana, who constantly shares entertaining vlogs with her husband Parmeet Sethi and sons Aryaman and Ayushmann, looked disappointed in the video as she narrated the incident. The family had hoped to take a trip to complete the indoor skydiving experience at iFly Dubai, but when they reached there, they were told that they had not made the booking in their names.
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“Dubai Mein Hamare Paise Doob Gaye”
Expressing her disappointment on camera, Archana said, “We had booked three slots on iFly Dubai but this lady is saying that we have no bookings. We have been cheated because the website we paid from is not theirs. We have been cheated in Dubai. We have already paid and the tickets are not cheap… we have lost our money in Dubai. I never expected this to happen in Dubai. There are such strict rules and regulations here. People are scared to do such things.” Her comment reflected not just disappointment but also genuine surprise, especially when Dubai has a reputation for strict laws and regulations on cybercrime.
Parmeet Sethi Left Shocked
Parmeet Sethi, who was part of the vlog, admitted that he could not believe the incident.
“I am shocked… Thousands of rupees are gone… Pata chale yahi scam hai,” he said, trying to lighten the moment with some humour, despite his disappointment.
Son Aaryamann Had His Suspicions
While making a booking on the site, Archana’s son Aryaman Sethi noticed a country difference on the site. He remembered instances when the ride duration was first shown as 4 minutes, then mysteriously became 2 minutes on another page. Despite the red flags, he said he didn’t investigate further as he was confident the platform was genuine.
A Cautionary Tale for Tourists
It is a bitter lesson to those who travel, as despite the extremely high level of regulation in such a country as UAE, scams are possible. Such fraudulent trick commonly used by scammers involves using false websites that resemble those of official domains to lure unhealthy tourists.
To avoid similar experiences:
- Always double-check the address of the site you are booking on.
- Find an authorized booking partner or approved website.
- Use popular aggregators or apps that have positive reviews.
- If you notice something that doesn’t look right, like price differences, layout differences, stop and check.
Also Read: Top 5 Credit Cards in Dubai Offering Huge Discounts and Multiple Bonuses
On the Work Front
The failure could not stop Archana Puran Singh, because she still entertains fans on and off the screen. She had recently seen in the comedy series Nadaaniyan in the character of Mrs. Braganza Malhotra and is still a regular in the Great Indian Kapil Show, winning her audience over with her contagious laughter and humor. Although the whole Dubai experience turned out to be a nightmare for Archana and her family, the transparency she has shown in posting her story is contributing to raising awareness and preventing other people from falling into the same trap.
Takeaway
Although Dubai is luxurious, safe, and highly regulated, there is still a possibility that such tricks end up in a traveling process. The story of Archana Puran Singh is a good lesson to never trust URLs, reviews, and official platforms and never make any payments before going back and making sure everything is valid, even when booking tourist attraction places like indoor skydiving at iFly Dubai.