Fake temple website charges small "prasad delivery fee" for offerings that never arrive
Fraudsters build websites mimicking Ram Mandir or other famous temples and offer doorstep delivery of prasad, temple replicas, or commemorative coins for a small fee (₹51–₹999). No delivery is ever made. Over 6.3 lakh devotees lost ₹10.49 crore in one such scam; a 2026 bust recovered ₹38 crore.
Also known as: Ram Mandir prasad delivery scam, fake online prasad order India, temple merchandise fraud website, fake religious offering delivery
Already happened to you? Do this in the next few minutes
Call 1930 now- 1 Call 1930 — the national cyber-crime helpline — right now. The sooner you report, the better the chance of freezing the money before it moves.
- 2 Call your bank to freeze the account and block the card immediately. Use the number printed on your card, never a number from the message or caller.
- 3 File a report at cybercrime.gov.in and keep every message, screenshot, and transaction ID.
What to do right now
- 1 Visit only the official Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust website (srjbtkshetra.org) for official Ayodhya information — the Trust has repeatedly stated it offers no online prasad delivery
- 2 Verify any temple's online services by calling their official contact number found on their .gov.in or trust website directly
- 3 Do not click payment links in WhatsApp or Telegram forwards about temple prasad — share the trust's official statement instead to prevent relatives from falling victim
- 4 Report suspicious religious websites to the Cybercrime portal so they can be blocked before more devotees are duped
- 5 Report at https://cybercrime.gov.in or call 1930 (national cyber helpline).
Red flags
- ⚠ A website, WhatsApp forward, or social media post offers to courier prasad from a famous temple — major temples including Ram Mandir (Ayodhya) have NO official online prasad delivery service
- ⚠ Facilitation fee seems very small (₹51, ₹108, ₹251) to build trust — scammers collect small amounts from hundreds of thousands of devotees
- ⚠ The website domain does not end in .gov.in or .nic.in and is unrelated to the temple trust's official domain
- ⚠ High-pressure messaging: 'Limited prasad available', 'Pre-consecration special offer' — these are urgency tactics
- ⚠ Payment collected but no order confirmation, no tracking number, and no customer care number that actually works
Sources
- Business Standard — Ram Temple Prasad Scam: ₹3.85 Crore Cyber Fraud Busted, Mastermind Arrested (2025)
- Deccan Herald — Ram Mandir Prasad Scam: Ayodhya Police Unearth Cyber Fraud Worth ₹38 Crore, Mastermind Arrested (2026)
- The420.in — Online Prasad Scam: How a Fake Website Robbed Lord Ram's Devotees Worldwide (2025)
- Deccan Herald — Ram Mandir Prasad Scam: Temple Trust Denies Online Service (2024)