Amidst the Covid-19 pandemic, scammers are finding different ways to rob the people of their hard-earned money. Such a scam has been exposed by Amit Thadhani, a doctor from Mumbai, Maharashtra, at Siddhivinayak Temple. In a tweet thread, Thadhani explained how scammers standing outside the temple are charging people as much as Rs.300 per person for darshan at the temple that was supposed to be free.
How does the scam work?
Siddhivinayak temple trust has recently launched a mobile app via which devotees can make a booking for darshan. The aim is to control the crowd to reduce the chances of Covid spread. If someone wants to do darshan, prior online booking is mandatory. He said, “Like all govt controlled temples, there’s a scam going on in online darshan too.”
Siddhivinayak temple trust has come out with an app for online booking of darshan in Covid times. If you want to visit, prior online booking is mandatory. Of course like all govt controlled temples, there’s a scam going on in online darshan too. Read this thread. 1/n pic.twitter.com/8ZclCqdd4a
— Amit Thadhani (@amitsurg) November 30, 2021
Thadhani said he went to the temple with some relatives, where he was approached by a man who was standing outside one of the flower shops. The man told him that the darshan was only possible with prior online booking. He claimed he could get an online pass for them immediately for a fee.
Thadhani did not believe him at first, but when he downloaded the app and logged in with a newly created ID, it showed all slots were booked. The scammer told him that he could arrange darshan at Rs. 300 per person. They were a group of ten people. He further added that he would need five mobile phones to get the “booking” done for them as the app allowed only two people per phone.
Not believing him, I downloaded the app and logged in after creating my new ID. But it showed all slots full. The man said he could get all ten of us in through the app (maximum 2 per phone are allowed) but he would charge 300 per person. Here’s where it gets interesting. 3/n
— Amit Thadhani (@amitsurg) November 30, 2021
He and the other four from the group gave them their mobile phones. The scammer, along with his sidekick, swung into action, and within minutes the booking was confirmed for all of them.
Thadhani had an idea how they were pulling off the scam. To confirm his theory, he kept the login of the person on his device. He added, “These people block all available slots in advance through various fake IDs. So no slots are available for genuine devotees.”
I had an idea how this scam was pulled off, and so have kept the login of the person on my device to expose the modus operandi. This is how it’s done. These people block all available slots in advance through various fake IDs. So no slots are available for genuine devotees. 5/n pic.twitter.com/2ne6U6xN7D
— Amit Thadhani (@amitsurg) November 30, 2021
He added screenshots of the fake account in the thread and said, “This is the fake account through which the slot was blocked (obviously the person’s name isn’t really Siddhivinayak). So remember folks, if you’re not getting a slot for darshan at Siddhivinayak, chances are the local touts outside the temple have already blocked all of them.”
This is the fake account through which the slot was blocked (obviously the persons name isn’t really Siddhivinayak). So remember folks, if you’re not getting a slot for darshan at Siddhivinayak, chances are the local touts outside the temple have already blocked all of them. 6/6 pic.twitter.com/mUUM3kgJTd
— Amit Thadhani (@amitsurg) November 30, 2021
What OpIndia found so far
We downloaded the app and checked if there were any slots open for the day. The app showed that the slots were booked for December 1 and December 2. For December 3, the booking was not opened yet.
Interestingly, What Thadhani said in his thread was echoed in the reviews of the app as well. Many such reviews stated they came across scammers outside the temple who book the slots as soon as they are opened and charge the devotees for darshan.
OpIndia tried contacting the temple’s office over the phone, but no one was available at the time the report was published.
