Cyber crime gets a boost
While UPI has made the process of exchanging money easier than ever, it has increased the incidence of cyber crime. Recently, we have seen several incidents where scammers have tricked people into hacking into their UPI accounts and taking their earnings. To avoid falling into such scams, today we are going to tell you 5 important things that you should keep in mind while making online payment through UPI.
1- Never share your UPI PIN with anyone
One of the most important things to keep in mind is not to share your 6 or 4 digit UPI PIN with anyone. The UPI-enabled app asks for a PIN before every transaction. So, when you link your bank account with your UPI ID, you need to set a special PIN. It is later used to initiate a secure payment similar to an ATM PIN. That’s why the UPI PIN should be kept personal.
2- Keep screen lock on your phone
Since you have a lot of important apps, emails and other important things in your phone, you should always keep a lock on your phone. UPI-enabled apps also ask for your phone lock screen password before opening the app for secure transactions. It also reduces the chances of fraud in case of theft or misuse of your phone case. It is also suggested to change the lock screen password frequently to be extra careful.
3- Avoid using more than one UPI app
It can be confusing to juggle between the many UPI apps installed on your phone. Using multiple UPI apps is not helping. Instead, it leads you to make a mistake. You can do UPI transactions for free from any app to anyone. Transactions can be done between two UPI users using any bank or UPI app as UPI is interoperable.
4- Always check UPI ID before transacting
The UPI-enabled app helps in transferring money to the recipient’s unique UPI ID. Similarly, you can accept payments from others using your unique UPI ID. Whenever you are getting money, always share the correct UPI ID and double check it. Similarly, always double-check the recipient’s UPI ID before initiating a transaction. This will help you avoid wrong transactions and send money to someone else.
5- Do not click on any link
There have been several cases of scams allegedly after people clicked on links received over SMS or emails. Avoid clicking on any links you receive on your phone. These links are often used to hack your phone and steal your identity as well as your banking password and PIN. If you ever receive such links, you can remove them immediately or block the source.
