An engineer lost Rs 98,000 after receiving fake UPI registration text.
If you receive an unsolicited message about your bank or UPI services, don’t rush into action. Always verify the sender.
If you suspect any fraudulent activity, report it to the police or your bank immediately to block your account and minimise losses.
We’ve all received unexpected messages on our phones, but most of us ignore them, thinking it’s just another spam. However, one engineer from Badlapur learned the hard way that not every message is harmless. On November 13, he fell victim to a scam that cost him Rs 98,000.
It all began when the 39-year-old engineer received a sudden text message from an unknown number. The message read, “You have initiated the registration of UPI payments on PhonePe. If this is not done by you, please report it to PhonePe.” Confused, the engineer tried to figure out what was going on. As he was still processing the message, he received another notification—a one-time password (OTP) sent to his phone, linked with his Aadhaar account, reports The Free Press Journal.
Also read: Lucknow woman loses Rs 1.75 lakh in work-from-home scam: Here’s how you can stay safe
In the next few minutes, things took a turn for the worse. Another text arrived, this time informing him that Rs 98,000 had been debited from his bank account. Shocked and alarmed, the engineer immediately checked his account balance which confirmed the unauthorised transaction. Realising he had fallen victim to a scam, he quickly called the cyber cell’s helpline (1930) to report the incident.
The police were quick to take action and advised the engineer to contact his bank to block his account, which he did right away. Despite his efforts, the scammer had already successfully stolen a significant amount from his account.
Also read: Elderly engineer loses Rs 10cr in 19 days of digital arrest: Here’s how the scam unfolded
How to protect yourself from such scams
This incident serves as a reminder of the growing number of scams that target unsuspecting individuals. Here are a few simple steps you can take to protect yourself:
- Be cautious of unexpected messages: If you receive an unsolicited message about your bank or UPI services, don’t rush into action. Always verify the sender.
- Don’t share your OTP: Never share your OTP with anyone, even if the request seems to come from a trusted source. Genuine companies never ask for your OTP.
- Report immediately: If you suspect any fraudulent activity, report it to the police or your bank immediately to block your account and minimise losses.
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Ayushi Jain
Tech news writer by day, BGMI player by night. Combining my passion for tech and gaming to bring you the latest in both worlds. View Full Profile
