Wallet KYC Expiry Scam on WhatsApp

How it looks on WhatsApp, the red flags and what to do.

WhatsApp scams arrive from numbers you do not know, from a friend whose account was taken over, or from a group you were added to without asking. Wallet KYC Expiry Scam is one of the ways this shows up: A message says your mobile wallet will be blocked unless you complete KYC today, and the link or caller asks for an OTP or remote access.

What wallet kyc expiry scam looks like on WhatsApp

• A message from an unknown number, often with a stock photo of a smiling person.
• A friend or relative asking for urgent money from a new number or a hacked account.
• A group invite promising returns, jobs or prizes.

The scammer sends a text or WhatsApp message that looks like it comes from a wallet company. It mentions a wallet balance at risk and a date by which the account will be frozen. A link leads to a page that looks like the real app's KYC form, asking for your phone number, ID details and, finally, an OTP sent to your phone.

Red flags to check on the WhatsApp message

• A KYC deadline arrives by SMS or WhatsApp with a link.
• You are asked to read out an OTP to 'verify' the KYC.
• The caller asks you to install a remote-help app.
• The page asks for your card details, PIN or net banking login.
• A new number says it is someone you know and asks for money; call the real person on the old number first.
• You are added to a group full of people praising profits.

What to do

1. Do not tap the link or share any OTP.
2. Open the wallet's official app yourself and check whether it shows any KYC notice.
3. Use the support option inside the app or the number printed on the company's own website typed by hand.
4. Warn the group or family, and report the number on Sanchar Saathi if it is a scam call or message.
5. Do not click links or open files. Do not send money or codes.
6. Open the chat, tap the contact name and choose Block and report.

Inside WhatsApp use Block and report; for numbers that call or text you, the Sanchar Saathi portal (Chakshu facility) also takes complaints.

If money or a code is already gone

1. Call 1930 immediately and give the amount, time and number that contacted you.
2. Contact the wallet company through its official app and ask to freeze the wallet.
3. Tell your bank through the number on your card if a linked account or card was used.
4. Report at https://cybercrime.gov.in with the message and call details.

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

Safeavio's scam check can review a KYC message you paste and show the reasons it looks risky, such as a deadline, an OTP ask and fake authority, and the link check looks at lookalike addresses before you open them. Safeavio's phone scan can also point out apps installed from outside a store. It cannot tell whether your wallet really needs KYC.

Full guide: Wallet KYC Expiry Scam: how it works, signs and what to do. Other channels: SMS, phone call, fake app.

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