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Online payments have increased in India in recent times. Especially after demonetisation in 2016, the number of people making payments through UPI services made available by NPCI has increased. But where there is good, there is bad, the number of scams based on subscription UPI has also increased. Recently, a new scam has come to light targeting hotel restaurants and deceiving them. Let's know more details about this UPI scam.

A hotel trader from Mangalore shared his experience on social media about the ongoing scam targeting restaurants through UPI payment systems. They claim that they have sent more money than their bill and ask for a refund. He warned that fraudulent QR codes are being sent to refund money through UPI. A Mangalore businessman narrowly escaped falling victim to this scam. He said he got a call from a Hindi-speaking man during rush hour, who first asked for noodles. But when I informed him that it was not on the menu, he ordered five biryanis. Also his bill along with water bottles was Rs. 1,760 and the caller said he will pay through UPI. He clarified that his friends would come and take the order. 

After a while he got Rs. 1 transferred and asked me to confirm whether I received it. When I check my message, my account shows Rs. 1 received a notification that it has been deposited. However, the merchant became suspicious of this transaction. I was alerted that my phone number did not appear in the transaction message, but the number appeared in the screenshot he sent. The man later called again and stated that he had mistakenly transferred Rs.11,760, which was an additional payment of Rs.10,000. When I check my messages, my account shows Rs. 11,760 has been deposited, the trader said.

That person paid Rs. He asked to refund 10,000 and said he will send UPI QR code to his WhatsApp number. The suspicious trader logged into the bank account and checked the details of the transaction and found no transaction related to 11,760. Realizing that this is a big scam, the businessman immediately hung up the phone. When I tried to call the number again it said not reachable. But K.Venkatesh Murthy, Senior Director, Data Security Council of India (DSC) stated that such frauds are widespread during UPI payments. It is said that such frauds can be prevented if the details of bank transactions are provided to the customers from time to time.