The world we live in is changing rapidly and drastically and one of the biggest factors leading this change and transformation is the growth of digitalization. Today, almost everything can happen with just one tap on the screen of your mobile phone. Even things like payments and money transfers can now take place within seconds. This has been made possible due to UPI (Unified Payment Interface). As you can tell by the name itself, UPI is a system of digital payments that works instantly unlike traditional money transfer methods of banking where a period of wait was involved before the amount transfered from one bank account to another.

UPI is an easy-to-use and convenient interface that is accessible to all. With the emergence and growth of UPI, our economy has been able to go cashless to a large extent. UPI lets you combine and use all your bank accounts within one app. UPI has grown so popular because it is a safe way of making transactions that help you protect your banking and financial details. However, even with its multi layer encryption and authentication, sometimes there might be UPI frauds.

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Why Do UPI Frauds Take Place?

Even with UPI being quite a safe way of carrying out transactions, frauds can take place in various ways; let us see some of the most popular ways that fraudsters use to scam you:

1. Getting Access to Your UPI PIN

Frauds can happen easily if someone gets access to your confidential information, especially your UPI PIN. Your UPI ID alone is not sufficient to carry out a payment or a money transfer. Your UPI PIN is what lets you make the final transaction, and it must not be shared with anyone. Anybody with access to your PIN can easily make transactions from your UPI ID, and you can even lose all of your money. It is, therefore, of utmost importance that your UPI PIN remains unknown to anyone else.

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2. Fake Payment Links

This is one of the most prevalent methods of scamming people, where fraudsters will share links with you that will be almost similar to genuine and original links of merchants and, therefore, easy to trust. This is called phishing. When you click on such a link,, you will be redirected to your UPI app, and because you think of it as genuine,, you will enter your UPI PIN to complete a payment. This will lead to transactions from your bank account to that of the scammer. This is why it is suggested to always double-check a link before you click on it and make a payment.

3. Asking for Payment Before Delivery

Another common way fraudsters scam people is to act like a genuine seller or business. What happens is that people fall into the trap of believing that the business really exists and place orders. Such scammers will always list products and services as prepaid. This means the Cash On Delivery (COD) option will not be available. You will be asked to make a payment via UPI. Once you do and the money reaches the scammers, they will stop responding, and you will never receive the product or service you ordered.

4. Fraudulent Screen Mirroring Apps

You are always advised to only download genuine and trustworthy applications on your phone. Sometimes, people download apps that are not genuine. This mostly happens when people reach out for the address of a grievance related to their banking experience. If you contact someone impersonating a bank employee by mistake, they will tell you to download some app that will apparently solve your problem. However, you must avoid doing so because these are fake apps made to scam people and will give the fraudsters complete access to all activity on your mobile phone. This includes all your confidential details, such as UPI PIN. The scammers then use that information to empty out your bank account.

5. Fake Contest Winning Messages

This is quite a popular one. Many people receive messages on their mobile phones about winning a lottery or some contest. The prize will usually be mentioned as a large cash amount, and you will be asked to share your UPI ID and PIN to collect the money you have won. People often get excited at the prospect of winning such a large sum of money and quickly enter their details, only to find out that they have yet to receive any money and have instead lost it from their bank accounts.

These are some of the most popular methods used by fraudsters and scammers to access your bank accounts and rob you of your money. In case you have been an unfortunate victim of such a scam, here are some things you can do to get money back from UPI fraud:

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How to Get Money Back From UPI Fraud

1. Contact Your Bank at the Earliest

The moment you realize that somebody has had unauthorized access to your bank account and you have been a victim of fraud, the first thing that you need to do immediately is contact your bank about the same. If this happens during working hours, call the customer's car number; in case the customer care number cannot be connected at the time, make sure you write to the bank about the fraud with all your UPI and bank details and attach proofs of the unauthorized transaction that has taken place. If banks are contacted soon enough, there are chances that you will be provided a refund.

2. Contact the Police

It is best to contact the authorities as soon as possible when a scam occurs. Lodge an official complaint at your local police station about the fraud, providing all your bank and UPI details along with any other relevant information so that the scammers are caught as soon as possible, and you can get your money back.

3. Alert the CybercrimeCrime department

Since digital scams and frauds are on the rise, we now have a working cybercrime portal that can be contacted in case you have been the victim of online fraud. In the case of an online money scam you should register a formal complaint on https://www.cybercrime.gov.in. You will be asked to provide some personal information, documents and details related to the scam. Make sure you submit everything very carefully.

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Quick Safety Tips to Avoid UPI Scams and Frauds

1: Do not share your confidential information with other people. This includes details such as your UPI PIN and OTPs that you receive to authenticate payments.

2: Avoid prepaying merchants you have not heard of before. Even if you are just a little doubtful about the authenticity of a particular seller or business, always look for a COD option. If it is not available, avoid making a purchase with that merchant.

3: Do not click on links that you do not trust. Always verify whether a link, especially a payment link, is genuine before you proceed to make a payment.

4: Avoid downloading random apps on your phone. Only download well-known applications, especially those related to banking services.

5: No matter what contest or lottery you win, nobody needs to know your UPI PIN or OTP to send you money. If you are being asked to share such details, you are definitely being scammed, so avoid responding to such messages and block the send immediately.

6: Check your transaction history regularly to stay up to date in case any unauthorized transaction has taken place without your knowledge. If you check your transaction history regularly, you will be able to alert your bank and other authorities as soon as possible, and the chances of you getting your money back are high.

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Conclusion

While the coming of UPI has made making payments and money transfers quick, simple and easier than ever before, unfortunately, online scams have also increased. UPI is a digital system that lets you make payments and money transfers in an instant. You can easily combine all your bank accounts into one app. A UPI fraud occurs when money is extracted from your account without your permission, knowledge and approval. There are various ways that scammers and fraudsters use to gain access to your UPI ID. One of the most popular ones is accessing your UPI PIN and OTPs. Your UPI PIN and payment confirmation OTPs are highly confidential details and must not be shared. Scammers often impersonate genuine sellers and businesses or create fake ones in order to receive payments without ever delivering products and services. Fake links redirecting you to your UPI apps are also popular ways of getting people to enter their UPI PIN and extracting money from their accounts. An old but prevalent method is misleading people by announcing them as winners of big cash prizes and asking for their confidential details in order to send them the money.

In case you have been the victim of such a scam, you need to alert three people at the earliest - your bank representative, the local police and the cyber crime department. The sooner that you file complaints, the better the chances of you getting your money back.

Staying careful with your UPI details and only sharing them with trustworthy people and genuine sources is imperative.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. Can I share my UPI ID with someone else?

Even though knowing your UPI ID alone is not enough for someone to make a transaction, they need to know your UPI PIN and OTP as well. It is always better to keep it to yourself or only share it with someone whom you trust a lot. Such details are highly confidential and must not be shared to protect yourself from scams, thefts, and fraud.

2. Can I contact the police if I face UPI fraud?

Yes, you can not only contact your local police in case of UPI fraud but must also contact them to file a formal complaint as soon as you are alerted about the fraud. Provide them with all the personal information and bank details that they ask for, along with all relevant information and proof related to the fraud.

3. Can I get a refund for a UPI payment?

Getting a refund on a UPI payment depends largely on the recipient. You can request that they refund your money and state the reason for the request. If they agree, you can get a refund. In case of a technical error or a payment made by mistake, you can reach out to your bank and request a refund. Upon reviewing the situation, your bank might or might not agree to refund your money.

4. Where can I file a cyber crime complaint in case of UPI fraud?

If you have been the victim of an online scam and want to register an official cyber crime complaint for UPI fraud, you can do it at the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal (NCPR). The official website is https://www.cybercrime.gov.in, and you can also contact their helpline number, which is 1930.

5. Will my bank refund my money if I get scammed?

Yes, your bank might refund your money if you are the victim of a scam. However, some conditions must be fulfilled. First, the bank must be notified as soon as you know about the scam. The longer you take to report the scam, the lower the chance that the bank will be able to refund your money. Secondly, if the bank suspects that you were involved in the scam yourself, they will outright refuse to refund the money.