India lost ₹981 crore to UPI scams in a year. Do not be the next one.
Verify before you pay
What happened. The Finance Ministry told Parliament that UPI frauds touched ₹981 crore in one year, across about 12.64 lakh cases.
Why it matters to you. If you use any UPI app, you are a target. Scammers do not hack your phone. They trick you into tapping pay yourself.
The concept. You never enter your UPI PIN to receive money. A PIN is only ever needed to send money out.
A rupee example. A buyer on a resale app says they will pay you ₹5,000. They send a QR code or a collect request and ask you to approve it to get the money. If you scan it and enter your PIN, ₹5,000 leaves your account, it does not come in. Money you receive never needs your PIN. That one rule stops most UPI scams.
Slow down for 10 seconds and ask one question: am I about to send money or receive it? If a refund or a reward is asking for your PIN, it is a scam. Every time.
This is general education, not financial advice. Figures are as reported by the source and may be updated.
Source: Ministry of Finance reply in Parliament, FY25 figures.
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