TTD officials lodged a complaint against the fake websites and subsequently shut down 41 of them I File photo of the temple

TTD cracks down on 41 fraudulent Tirumala websites

The Federal
5 May 2023 5:20 PM GMT

Several fake websites claiming to be associated with Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) have been deceiving devotees by selling fraudulent darshan and seva-related tickets.

These websites also sell VIP darshan tickets at the same time as TTD announces the opening date and time, leading to confusion and financial loss for devotees.

Also Read: TTD’s second temple in Chennai to be inaugurated on March 17

Following complaints from devotees, temple officials lodged a complaint against the fake websites and subsequently shut down 41 of them. The police suspect the involvement of gangs from Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh in the scam.

The temple’s division general manager, LM Sandeep, held several meetings with Andhra Pradesh Technology Services (APTS) and Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) officials to initiate the shutdown of 13 fake TTD apps.

Also Read: TTD to use facial recognition at Tirupati temple to prevent service misuse

To spot fake websites and mobile applications in real-time, the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam is now using advanced brand management technologies.