Social engineering is the use of psychological manipulation or deception to influence individuals to divulge sensitive information or perform actions that may not be in their best interest. This can be accomplished through tactics such as phishing scams, pretexting, baiting, or quid pro quo offers. Social engineering can be used for various purposes, such as fraud, espionage, or cyber-attacks.
Top Social Engineering in UPI scams?
- Phishing scams: These involve sending fake messages or emails that mimic legitimate UPI payment requests, but are actually designed to steal personal information or login credentials.
- Impersonation scams: These involve criminals pretending to be bank employees or customer service representatives, and asking for sensitive information or UPI PINs to help “fix” a supposed issue with the victim’s account.
- Vishing scams: These involve criminals calling victims and using psychological manipulation to convince them to divulge sensitive information or perform actions related to UPI payments.
- Pretexting scams: These involve criminals creating fake or misleading pretexts to obtain sensitive information or UPI PINs, such as claiming to be conducting a survey or offering a prize.
- Baiting scams: These involve criminals offering something of value, such as a discount or free trial, in exchange for sensitive information or UPI PINs.
- Quid pro quo scams: These involve criminals offering to help the victim with something, such as getting a refund or resolving a dispute, in exchange for sensitive information or UPI PINs.
Tips to avoid UPI scams:
- Verify the sender’s identity before responding to any UPI payment requests.
- Don’t share your UPI PIN or other sensitive information with anyone you don’t trust or haven’t verified.
- Use strong, unique passwords for your UPI accounts, and avoid using the same password for multiple sites.
- Enable two-factor authentication on your UPI accounts to add an extra layer of security.
- Be cautious of unexpected or unsolicited communications related to UPI payments, and verify the sender’s identity before responding.
- Be wary of offers or requests that seem too good to be true, and consider the potential consequences of accepting them.
- Stay up to date with the latest security best practices and stay alert for signs of suspicious activity.
- Report any suspicious or fraudulent activity related to UPI payments to the appropriate authorities.