Tricksters using UPI-based apps to dupe people

Nagpur: A new breed of conmen is active across the country, including the city, these days. In the last one-and-a-half months, a new trend of online offences has come to fore with Cyber Complaint Cell (C3) of the city crime branch registering 35 cases of fraud.
In all the cases, the tricksters have used Unified Payment Interface (UPI)-based apps to target people, including a retired Supreme Court justice and a senior IPS officer.

According to sources at C3, several payment making apps are have been launched recently, including government’s BHIM, PhonePe, and Google Pay among others. In all these apps, the payment method of UPI is common, which operates mostly on the basis of mobile numbers registered for a specific bank account.

Linking a bank account with UPI-based apps is an easy procedure as it connects with the number of the user. Sources said the tricksters are installing the apps in their mobiles and operating customer’s account through their smart phones.

It is also learnt that while installing a UPI-based app, the OTP message does not show any amount which makes people believe that the caller is genuine.

A source from C3 said, “Earlier, if a person is being duped in an online fraud, the tricksters had to get the OTP number every time they want to make a transaction. However, in UPI-based frauds, the tricksters had to get the OTP only once and they can make transactions without any hiccup for as long as they want.”

Citing an example of a private company employee, the source said, “The trickster had taken the OTP from a man a month ago for installing the UPI-based app on the pretext of telling him that his ATM card is going to expire. However, the trickster used the app to transfer money after the complainant’s salary got credited.”

The increasing number of UPI-based frauds has raised an alarm in the cyber cell.

It is learnt that the tricksters initially call their victims and use several pick-up lines to gain their trust. After gaining their trust, the tricksters ask them about the card number and a single OTP. In the meantime, the trickster had already installed the UPI-based app in his mobile phone.

With a single OTP, the accused get control of the complainant’s account and uses it at his own discretion.

Sources said that the tricksters are using several websites to get information about people, which helps them gain their trust.

Most of the crimes have taken place at Noida, Gurugram, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. However, police have been unable to act against the accused as the bank accounts in which they transfer the money are also fake.