UPI Collect Request Scam over the phone

How it looks over the phone, the red flags and what to do.

Callers pretend to be bank staff, police, a courier, a telecom officer or a relative, and they try to keep you on the line while you act. UPI Collect Request Scam is one of the ways this shows up: A stranger sends a UPI collect request and says you must approve it to receive money. Approving it takes money out of your account.

What upi collect request scam looks like over the phone

• An unknown or international number, or a number that looks like a real office.
• A calm, official voice that already knows your name or the last digits of your card.
• Being told to stay on the line and not to tell your family.

The scammer first finds a reason to contact you. It may be an advert you posted, a delivery you are expecting, or a cold message saying a payment is ready. They ask for your UPI ID or phone number, which is enough to send a request. Nothing is hacked at this point. They simply need a way to put a request in front of you.

Red flags to check on the phone call

• You are asked for your UPI PIN to receive money.
• The notification says 'pay' or 'collect request', not 'received'.
• The sender pushes you to hurry and not read the screen.
• The same request appears again after a 'failed' attempt.
• The caller asks for an OTP, UPI PIN, card PIN or CVV.
• You are told that a case, arrest, block or penalty is coming within minutes.

What to do

1. Decline or ignore the collect request in your UPI app.
2. Do not type your PIN on any screen that came from this person.
3. Check the transaction history to confirm nothing was paid.
4. If you already installed an app on the call, uninstall it and switch on airplane mode, then call your bank at once.
5. Tell a family member and report the number on the Sanchar Saathi portal (Chakshu facility).
6. Hang up. A real bank or office will not mind that you call them back.

Report the number on the Sanchar Saathi portal (Chakshu facility). If money moved, call 1930 immediately.

If money or a code is already gone

1. Call 1930 at once and give the transaction ID, amount and time.
2. Call your bank on the number printed on your card or passbook and ask them to flag the payment.
3. Report at https://cybercrime.gov.in with screenshots of the request and chat.
4. Change your UPI PIN and watch the account for further requests.

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

Safeavio's Money Shield gives you a 'verify before you pay' checklist, and the first question is simple: am I sending money or receiving it? If a chat message or SMS pushes you to approve a request, you can paste it into the scam check to see the reasons it looks risky, such as urgency and PIN asks. It cannot read your UPI app or stop a payment you approve yourself.

Full guide: UPI Collect Request Scam: how it works, signs and what to do. Other channels: fake app, WhatsApp, SMS.

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