Cyber crooks looking to exploit Ram Mandir fervour via bogus websites, apps, say govt sources

Central agencies involved in tackling cybercrime have observed increasing frauds trying to cash in on the Ayodhya Ram Mandir fervour, with significant funds being swindled by scammers. Agencies have noted the operation of numerous fraudulent websites soliciting donations and new apps have been created promoting Ram-themed gaming with monetary rewards. These entities exploit payment gateways on counterfeit domains via QR codes.

Government sources said that the central cyber complaint number is increasingly getting calls hinting at this trend and the amount swiped is yet to be estimated. Also, new games and multimedia messages have been launched to trap the public, they added.

According to a latest analysis conducted last week, agencies have observed the widespread dissemination of viral content across social media platforms impersonating Ram Mandir accounts.

The modus operandi involves fraudsters duping users under the guise of the Ayodhya temple. Additionally, it has emerged that several bogus websites are claiming to collect funds in the name of the Ram Mandir.

“These websites offer fake services, including accepting funds, donations, booking prashad, VIP darshan entries, and providing travel support. They often utilise payment gateways or aggregators on fake domains through QR codes. Recommendations have been made to take action against such pages, apps, and content,” said an official.

The central government has requested payment gateways to pay attention to potential frauds and conduct enhanced due diligence before onboarding merchants. Furthermore, they have been advised to monitor merchant activities during and after onboarding.

“It is also recommended to conduct mystery shopping with a larger sample size and report any suspicious activities to the relevant authorities. Considering these findings, recommendations have been made to the ministry of information technology by the home ministry to take appropriate action. This action is essential to prevent dissemination of harmful narratives and maintain social harmony,” the official told News18.