Refund Scam with a Rs 1 Test Payment Link by SMS

How it looks by SMS, the red flags and what to do.

A text message is the cheapest way for a scammer to reach thousands of phones at once, and the sender name can look like a bank, a courier or a government office. Refund Scam with a Rs 1 Test Payment Link is one of the ways this shows up: After you cancel an order, a caller says a refund link needs a small test payment first. The link is a payment request that drains your account.

What refund scam with a rs 1 test payment link looks like by SMS

• A shortened or oddly spelled link that does not match the real website.
• A request to call a number, install an app or share an OTP.
• Several near-identical messages arriving together from different senders.

The scammer knows or guesses that you recently dealt with a shopping site, often because he reads leaks or watches public complaints. He phones at the moment your refund is pending. He quotes the amount correctly or nearly so, which makes him seem genuine. He asks whether you want the money in UPI or card, and agrees warmly, as if he had the power to approve it.

Red flags to check on the text message

• You must pay something small before getting a refund.
• A link or QR code is sent instead of the refund being credited to your original payment method.
• A caller knows your recent order or cancellation but pushes you to act fast.
• A UPI PIN or card OTP is requested for a refund.
• It promises a refund, prize or cashback you never asked for.
• It tells you to install an app from a link instead of the official store.

What to do

1. Stop the call and check refund status only in the shopping app's orders page.
2. Remember that refunds go back to your original payment method without any PIN.
3. Do not pay any 'test' amount, however small.
4. Paste the text into a scam checker (Safeavio Sentinel can check it) before you do anything else.
5. Report the sender on the Sanchar Saathi portal (Chakshu facility) and block the number.
6. Delete the message and tell family members who may get the same text.

You can report suspicious SMS and calls on the Sanchar Saathi portal (Chakshu facility) of the Department of Telecommunications.

If money or a code is already gone

1. Call 1930 and report at cybercrime.gov.in immediately.
2. Tell your bank through the official app and ask them to block the card if details were typed.
3. Do not retry the payment even if the caller promises to reverse it.
4. Keep screenshots of the link, payment receipts and call log.

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

Use QR check in Safeavio Sentinel to scan any code the caller sends and see where it leads before paying, and Link check for a link. Scam check can show why the message and wording look like a refund trick. Money Shield reminds you that a PIN is only for paying. Safeavio cannot stop the caller from phoning and cannot reverse a payment made.

Full guide: Refund Scam with a Rs 1 Test Payment Link: how it works, signs and what to do. Other channels: phone call, WhatsApp, fake app.

Questions