A new wave of cyber fraud has been unleashed in recent weeks ahead of the consecration of Ram Mandir at Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh.
The nation is all decked-up to celebrate the auspicious day with the state and the central government declaring either half-day or full-day leave enabling the citizens to participate in the celebration, and even the stock market will remain closed on that day.
Amid all the celebration, recent reports of cyber frauds have been adding bitterness to the celebration mood.
Fraud under the name of Prasad
Many reports have surfaced where a message will be delivered on your mobile phone offering home delivery of Prasad from the consecration ceremony.
According to Police complaints filed by the victims, when they click on the link that accompanies the messages, they are asked to fill in their details. And once the crucial details, including their phone number, are entered, the fraudsters gain access to the bank account linked with that number.
It just takes seconds to siphon off the money, the report highlighted.
A close source to ETBFSI from Uttar Pradesh’s Kanpur also said that there is a rumor going on regarding the Ram Mandir prasad distribution at the price of Rs 11 only. Interestingly, they are told that the Prasad is sponsored by a Union Minister (name undisclosed). And the amount will be deposited into the official Ram Mandir bank account.
The payment of Rs 11 has to be done through UPI.
Prasad fraud on e-commerce platforms
Another case of Prasad fraud has been tracked on online e-commerce giant Amazon where certain sweets are being sold under the name of ‘Shri Ram Mandir Ayodhya Prasad’.
Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA), has initiated action against Amazon Seller Services Pvt. Ltd., concerning the sale of sweets on www.amazon.in under the name ‘Shri Ram Mandir Ayodhya Prasad’, Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution said on Friday.
As per the statement released by the ministry, the action has been initiated based on a representation made by Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) alleging that Amazon is engaging in deceptive trade practices involving sale of sweets under the guise of ‘Shri Ram Mandir Ayodhya Prasad’.
Earlier, CAIT Secretary General, Praveen Khandelwal in a tweet over social media platform X said, “Urgent action required against Amazon for misusing the name of Lord Ram and misleading its customers by selling Ayodhya Ram Mandir Prasad. Such unscrupulous trade practices must stop.”
Another online platform under the name of ‘Khadi Organic’ is also selling prasad online at an amount of Rs 51. This amount has to be paid online and in case a user wants to order Cash on Delivery, the charges will be Rs 101. This psychologically compel them to pay online.
Fraudsters exploit human emotions
While speaking with ETBFSI, Pravin Kumar, a Senior cyber security expert said that fraudsters have a pattern. They exploit human emotions.
During the pandemic era, they played out with the fear of the citizens, and now at the time of Ram Mandir consecration, they are exploiting citizens’ religious emotions.
“Not only the Prasad, they are also selling fake tour packages to Ayodhya. They are falsely offering the booking of first-day pooja, or writing the name of lord ‘Ram’ for 1008 or 108 times in the premises, and other such schemes for a donation fee that has to be paid online,” he told.
“This is all happening in an online setup through sending links on WhatsApp or phone messages, to get the crucial details like phone number and email address.”
With the advent of new technical tools like ChatGPT, it has become easier for them to set up a database and execute their operations, he added.
The veteran suggested that at this time, citizens should ignore all such messages, and don’t fall in for them.
“In case you come across any platform where they need your details and need to pay them online, then do check whether that website has HTTPS lock or not. This ensures the authenticity of the website,” he said.
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