The Unified Payments Interface (UPI) has revolutionized India’s electronic payment system. UPI has made payments easy by bringing this process to everyone’s fingertips. In less than a minute, people can send money to the recipient’s bank account using the UPI app linked to their bank accounts. Some of these apps are – Google Pay, and PhonePe, among others.
Some important things to keep in mind while making UPI payments
While UPI has made the process of exchanging money easier than ever, it has increased the incidence of cybercrime. Recently, we have seen several incidents where scammers have tricked people into different ways to hack into their UPI accounts and access their hard-earned money. To avoid such scams, here are 5 important things you should keep in mind while making online payments through UPI.
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 unique PIN. It is later used to initiate a secure payment similar to an ATM PIN. Therefore, the UPI PIN should be kept personal.
Add screen lock to 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.
Always verify 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.
You can send or receive as little as Rs 1 for confirmation
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 of no use. 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.
If someone is using your phone number, you may have trouble making payments, but you can always scan their QR code or ask for UPI ID for transactions within various apps.
Do not click on unverified links
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 that are not verified or look messed up. 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.
People sometimes get calls from con artists posing as bank representatives. They request users to enter their PIN, OTP, or download an app through a link that they send via SMS or WhatsApp. Never fall into these traps and share PIN, OTP, or confidential passwords.
Read in Hindi: UPI भुगतान करते समय ध्यान रखने योग्य कुछ महत्वपूर्ण टिप्स