The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) has issued five key safety recommendations to help consumers protect themselves against digital payment fraud during the festive season, when increased online shopping, attractive discounts and cashback offers often create opportunities for scammers.
With consumers increasingly using online and offline platforms for festive purchases, fraudsters are exploiting shopping trends and impulsive buying behaviour through social engineering tactics. NPCI has advised users to shop only through official applications and websites, warning against lookalike websites, suspicious links and downloads from unknown sources.
It has also urged consumers to complete payments only through the official checkout systems of shopping platforms and avoid transferring money to external UPI IDs or links without verifying seller details.
The corporation cautioned users against unsolicited cashback, free voucher and festival gift offers that seek OTPs, banking details or upfront fees. It emphasised that OTPs should never be shared with anyone, including callers or individuals claiming to represent banks and payment applications.
NPCI further advised consumers not to respond to messages creating urgency over expiring offers or account blocking threats. Instead, users should verify such claims through official channels.
Promoting the ‘Stop, Think, Act’ principle, NPCI said pausing before responding, verifying information and acting cautiously could help safeguard transactions and sensitive financial information.
