Collect request

A collect request is a UPI feature that lets someone request money from you. When you approve it and enter your PIN, money leaves your account. It never brings money in, which is exactly why scammers send one while claiming they are paying you.

How it is meant to work

The legitimate use is simple: a shop, a friend or a biller sends you a request for a specific amount, and you approve it to pay them. It saves them from sharing account details and saves you from typing an amount. Approving a collect request is the same as making a payment, and like any UPI payment, it needs your UPI PIN to go through.

Why scammers love it

Here is the trap. A collect request can only pull money out of your account; it can never push money in. So a fraudster posing as a buyer, a refund desk or a lottery sends you a collect request while telling you it will credit money to you. If you approve it and enter your PIN, you pay them. The confusion between “receiving” and “approving a request” is the entire scam.

The rule that keeps you safe

You never need to approve a request or enter your PIN to receive money. Receiving is automatic and silent. So treat any collect request you did not expect with suspicion, read what the app actually says (it will say you are paying, not receiving), and decline anything from a stranger. See common UPI scams and UPI safe habits.