Transaction frauds have been there ever since digital transactions ever made it into the market, the sophistication of fraud and the intensity only gets better, and so does our approach to preventing and reporting them. Especially in such burdensome times like the pandemic, fraudsters are on the run scamming innocent undoubting citizens on various payment platforms.
Speaking of online frauds, the most common type arises with the presence of an OTP (One Time Password) provided by banks to authenticate a digital transaction you’re making on your phone perhaps for something you’re buying online. India has a bunch of payment applications downloadable on our mobiles to ease digital transactions, namely Paytm, G-Pay, PhonePe, PayPal, BharatPe, etc.
A recent conversation with Paytm, helped us get some valuable information you can use in order to prevent digital fraud or the ideal protocol to follow while you’re dealing with transaction fraud.
A UPI or Unified Payment Interface ID is generated with every mobile number using their net banking facility for a payment app such as Paytm etc. their phone number is associated with the UPI ID and the UPI ID itself along with a screenshot of the “accept payment” QR code is all a payer needs in order to pay you money digitally. Apart from any of the 3 above-mentioned things, anything else requested by the person like an OTP or a password, or even the card number would raise your first red flag. So, you need to know the golden rule in order to be safe while transacting digitally, which is that you aren’t supposed to share anything other than your mobile number, UPI ID, or a screenshot of your “receive payment” QR code in order to receive a payment.
Here are some more important key points you can follow:
- Never click the pay button or enter UPI to receive money from any unknown party including buyers from OLX, QUICKR, etc. If he is a genuine sender, they need just your phone number or UPI ID.
- In case you receive a fraudulent collect call, decline the request and contact Paytm by calling at 0120 3888 3888
- Remember any payment apps including Paytm will never ask for your confidential details like a UPI pin, or call you for a reward receipt, etc., If such details are asked posing as a company representative, please contact Paytm @0120 3888 3888
- You can always reach out to Paytm customer support through https://paytm.com/care/privacyandsecurity/
- Never call/respond to unverified mobile numbers claiming to be Paytm Support.
- Connect with Paytm only on official accounts across various social media platforms.
- Report to the nearest Cyber cell & file a police complaint
- Anonymously report on crowd-checking websites for digital fraud like CheckForTrust at https://www.checkfortrust.trustcheckr.com
Contact PayTM through these channels
- PayTM support — https://paytm.com/care/privacyandsecurity/
- Phone — 0120 3888 3888
Always check any unverified mobile numbers and emails on https://www.checkfortrust.trustcheckr.com for better authenticity, report such numbers anonymously, and protect yourself, family and friends.