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Freedom251 › Blog › cybersecurity

How to Stay Safe from UPI Payment Scams in India

By Freedom251 Team · · 4 min read

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A UPI PIN authorizes a transaction; it is not a way to receive money. If someone says you must enter your PIN to collect a refund, reward or marketplace payment, stop and check what the app is asking you to approve. Before entering a PIN, verify the action, recipient and amount on your screen.

Do you need a UPI PIN to receive money?

No. You do not enter a UPI PIN to receive money. A PIN is used to authorize a transaction, so a PIN prompt may mean you are approving a payment rather than accepting money. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) puts it plainly: Entering PIN/OTP is not required to receive money (RBI guidance on UPI QR fraud).

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Never share your PIN with another person. The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) says the bank’s customer support will never ask for it. If a caller or message asks you to disclose your PIN, OTP or password, do not comply; contact your bank using its official channel instead (NPCI UPI FAQs; RBI public-awareness notification).

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How to check a UPI request before approving it

  1. Read the action shown in the app. Check whether it says pay or send, or asks you to approve a collect or request-money transaction. If you intend to receive money, do not authorize a payment request.
  2. Verify the payee and amount. Make sure the recipient name and amount match what you intended. Do not rely on what another person says the screen means.
  3. Consider how the request arrived. Be especially cautious if it follows an unsolicited call, link, QR code, reward offer or pressure from a buyer.
  4. Stop if the screen does not match your intention. Decline the request or leave the flow without entering your PIN. If you need to check your balance or activity, open your payment app yourself rather than using a link from a message.

A collect request is not automatically fraudulent. But accepting one with your PIN authorizes the payment it requests, so check its details before approving.

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Common UPI scam patterns

Fake cashback, reward or refund

A message or caller may promise cashback, a prize or a refund in exchange for scanning a QR code, following a link or entering your PIN. Do not follow an unsolicited payment link or scan a code on the promise that it will credit you. To check account activity, open your official payment app independently. NPCI describes fake cashback links and QR-code lures in its fraud-awareness guidance, and RBI warns about QR-code fraud in its public guidance.

A fake buyer asking you to accept a payment request

In a marketplace sale, a fraudster may pose as a buyer and send a request for money, then tell you to enter your PIN to receive the sale proceeds. That PIN entry authorizes money to be sent to the requester. RBI Ombudsman awareness material explains: If UPI or any other app requires you to enter PIN to complete a transaction, it means you will be sending money instead of receiving it. Inspect the request in your app and decline it if you are meant to receive payment (RBI Ombudsman awareness material on online sales fraud).

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Unsolicited links, threats and app downloads

Fraudsters may use threatening messages, links in texts or emails, requests for OTPs or passwords, SIM swaps, or instructions to install a spurious app. Avoid clicking unexpected payment links or installing an app at another person’s direction. If a message claims to be from your bank, contact the bank through a number or channel you obtain independently. RBI warns about these tactics in its public-awareness notification; NPCI also lists threat messages and unknown app downloads among fraud concerns (NPCI fraud awareness).

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Does opening a UPI app approve a payment?

NPCI’s January 13, 2025 clarification says: Simply opening a UPI or bank application does not automatically approve a transaction. In its explanation of the “Jumped Deposit” claim, NPCI says a user must go to the payment request, explicitly select the option to pay and authorize that transaction with a PIN. This is a specific clarification about that claim, not a guarantee that every UPI interaction is risk-free. NPCI also notes that a PIN may be requested for a balance enquiry; that does not by itself authorize a separate payment request (NPCI clarification dated January 13, 2025).

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What to do if you sent money to a scammer

  1. Contact your bank promptly. Use the bank’s official support channel and report the unauthorized transaction. Ask how to register and track your complaint; a report does not guarantee that funds will be returned.
  2. Report the financial cyber fraud. Call 1930 or submit a report at cybercrime.gov.in. Have the transaction ID and date, bank or wallet details, debited account or UPI identifier, your mobile number and relevant screenshots available if requested.
  3. Follow the reporting instructions for your location. The published citizen instructions linked here are labeled “For Delhi Only.” They say helpline callers receive an acknowledgement and must complete portal registration within 24 hours. Do not assume that timing or every procedural detail applies nationally; follow the current instructions from the helpline or portal for your location (citizen financial cyber-fraud reporting instructions).
  4. Raise a complaint in the payment app. Use the transaction history, help or grievance function to select the transaction and report the problem. NPCI’s UPI FAQs and UPI Help guidance describe in-app complaint and status options.
  5. Keep the evidence. Save transaction references, messages, call details and screenshots, along with the acknowledgement for your reports.

Reporting gives the bank, payment participants and authorities information to examine the case; it does not ensure a reversal or reimbursement. The materials cited here do not establish a single deadline or liability outcome for every incident. For a grievance that remains unresolved, consult the RBI’s Integrated Ombudsman Scheme FAQ for the applicable complaint route.

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What if your phone is lost?

Contact your telecom provider through its official channel to block the mobile number, then contact your bank or payment provider through its official support route. NPCI’s UPI FAQ advises users who lose a phone to block the number and contact the bank or customer support.

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