Fake UPI Cashback Reward Scam through an app

How it looks through an app, the red flags and what to do.

Scam apps pretend to be a bank, a loan service, a game, a government service or a "support tool", and they ask for access to SMS, contacts, the screen or accessibility. Fake UPI Cashback Reward Scam is one of the ways this shows up: A message promises a big UPI cashback or scratch card. To claim it you must share a PIN or approve a request, which sends money away.

What fake upi cashback reward scam looks like through an app

• An .apk file sent on WhatsApp or by SMS.
• An app outside the official store that asks for many permissions.
• A screen-sharing or remote-control app that a caller asks you to install.

The scammer sends a mass message or posts an advert showing a reward of Rs 500 to Rs 5,000. It copies the colours and style of a known payment app and may say you are one of a few lucky users. A link leads to a fake page that asks for your UPI ID, phone number and sometimes your card number.

Red flags to check on the app

• A reward arrives that you did not apply for.
• A link, not the official app, is where you claim it.
• You must enter a PIN or approve a request to receive money.
• A countdown or limit of users creates pressure.
• It asks you to turn off Play Protect.
• The app does not come from the official store listing of the company.

What to do

1. Do not tap the link or enter any details on the page.
2. Check offers only inside the official app you already use.
3. Never enter a PIN to receive a reward.
4. Open Settings and check Accessibility, Device admin apps and Install unknown apps for anything you do not recognise.
5. Change the passwords of your bank and email from a clean device if the app had access.
6. Run a phone scan (Safeavio Sentinel lists risky apps and settings).

Report the fake app to the store it came from and, if money moved, call 1930 and report at cybercrime.gov.in.

If money or a code is already gone

1. Call 1930 immediately with the transaction details.
2. Tell your bank through the number printed on your card or passbook.
3. Report on https://cybercrime.gov.in with the message and the link page screenshot.
4. Change your UPI PIN and check for other approved requests or mandates.

National Cyber Crime Helpline: 1930; report at cybercrime.gov.in.

Safeavio's link check can look at a reward link before you open it for lookalike domains, shortened links and risky patterns, and the scam check can show why a cashback message looks like pressure. Neither can confirm whether an offer is genuine, so check inside the official app or website you type yourself. Check offers in the real app. It cannot confirm whether any offer is real.

Full guide: Fake UPI Cashback Reward Scam: how it works, signs and what to do. Other channels: SMS, WhatsApp, social media.

Questions