IRCTC deactivates millions of fake user accounts to stop ticket scalping
The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation is cracking down hard on illegal train ticket booking and resale across the country. Passengers trying to book tickets online will notice several new security measures designed to keep touts away and ensure genuine travellers get confirmed seats easily.
The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation has deactivated more than 3.04 crore suspicious user IDs since October last year and placed 6.33 crore additional IDs under suspension pending authenticity verification. Between January 1, 2024, and June 30, 2026, a total of 6.68 crore suspicious accounts were deactivated, while 6.22 crore accounts were temporarily blocked to undergo revalidation. To enforce the law further, the Railway Protection Force arrested 22,676 touts between 2021 and June 2026 for violations under the Railways Act, 1989.
Advanced Technology Stops Malicious Bots
To combat fraudulent activity, IRCTC has implemented advanced artificial intelligence and machine learning tools, resulting in the mitigation of malicious bot traffic by 55% to 65%. In the last six months alone, approximately 58% of online booking attempts were identified as bots and subsequently denied access. Daily new account registrations have dropped sharply from nearly 1 lakh to roughly 5,000, signaling a massive reduction in fake agent activity. Additionally, IRCTC has blocked 16,041 suspicious email domains and registered 592 complaints on the National Cyber Crime Portal concerning 4.21 lakh suspicious PNRs.
New Booking Rules and Aadhaar Verification
Strict operational protocols are now in place to maintain system integrity and give everyday passengers a fair chance. Authorized agents are strictly prohibited from booking tickets during the initial 10 minutes of the Advanced Reservation Period. Since October 12, 2025, only Aadhaar-authenticated users are permitted to book tickets during this high-demand opening window. Tatkal bookings now also feature phased Aadhaar-based OTP verification, which is currently operational across 322 trains and has improved confirmed ticket availability by approximately 65%. Individual users are generally capped at six tickets per month, though this limit extends to 12 if the user ID is linked to an Aadhaar number. To ensure ultimate security, IRCTC has introduced dynamic CAPTCHA codes and mandated a minimum of 35 seconds to process passenger details and authentication for online bookings.