Wallet Top-up Cashback Scam by SMS

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

SMS scams lean on short, urgent lines and a shortened link. The message looks official because the sender name (header) is shaped to resemble a real organisation. Wallet Top-up Cashback Scam is one of the ways this shows up: A website or caller promises double balance or big cashback if you top up your wallet. The money goes to the scammer, not your wallet.

What wallet top-up cashback scam looks like by SMS

• Several near-identical messages arriving together from different senders.
• A sender name that resembles a bank, courier, tax or utility, or an ordinary mobile number.
• A very short message with a deadline such as "today" or "within 24 hours".

The scammer posts a short video, a social media advert or a group message with a limited-time top-up offer. It uses screenshots of other people receiving the bonus and comments from fake accounts saying it worked. A link or a contact asks you to send money to a UPI ID or to 'register' on a page that looks like a wallet app.

Red flags to check on the text message

• The offer doubles or triples the amount you pay.
• You are asked to pay a private UPI ID instead of using the app.
• Screenshots and comments show others 'proving' it works.
• A limited number of users or a midnight deadline is mentioned.
• It tells you to install an app from a link instead of the official store.
• The link domain is not the one you type yourself for that organisation.

What to do

1. Do not send money to a private UPI ID for a bonus.
2. Check offers only inside the official wallet app.
3. Do not share your wallet login or OTP with an agent.
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 the payment with the UPI ID and transaction details.
2. Tell your bank through the number on your card or passbook.
3. Report at https://cybercrime.gov.in with the advert, chat and payment proof.
4. Do not pay any extra fee to claim the bonus.

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

Safeavio's scam check can read the offer text you paste and show the reasons it looks like pressure and a money demand, and the link check can warn about lookalike or shortened links in the advert. Money Shield reminds you to pay only through the official app. It cannot tell whether a particular offer is real, so check inside the app.

Full guide: Wallet Top-up Cashback Scam: how it works, signs and what to do. Other channels: social media, WhatsApp, fake app.

Questions