As India’s digital payments ecosystem continues to expand rapidly, the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) has intensified its consumer awareness efforts by educating users on the growing threat of text message scams that target digital payment customers through social engineering tactics.
NPCI said fraudsters increasingly exploit urgency, fear and curiosity to deceive users into clicking fake links, calling fraudulent customer care numbers, downloading malicious applications, sharing sensitive information such as OTPs, UPI PINs and passwords, or transferring money based on misleading SMS alerts. The organisation cautioned that scammers often impersonate banks, government agencies, telecom operators and delivery companies to gain the trust of unsuspecting consumers.
To strengthen digital security, NPCI has advised users to verify requests through official websites or customer care channels, download applications only from authorised app stores, avoid interacting with suspicious links, review app permissions carefully, and confirm payment credits by checking their bank account statements. It also urged users to preserve screenshots and message records and report suspicious activity through the national cybercrime helpline 1930 or the Department of Telecommunications’ Sanchar Saathi platform. The awareness campaign comes as NPCI continues to play a pivotal role in India’s digital payments revolution through platforms including UPI, RuPay, IMPS, NACH, AePS and e-RUPI. Established by the Reserve Bank of India and the Indian Banks’ Association, NPCI has emerged as the backbone of the country’s retail payment infrastructure, supporting financial inclusion and reinforcing trust in India’s fast-growing digital economy.
