Almost every UPI scam relies on the victim doing one of three things: entering a UPI PIN to "receive" money, approving a collect request they didn't initiate, or clicking a link.
The eight habits 1. Never enter your UPI PIN to receive money — receiving is free and PIN-free. 2. Reject every collect request unless you initiated the purchase seconds ago. 3. Screenshots from strangers are not proof of payment. 4. Don't scan QR codes to receive money. Scanning is for paying. 5. Set a low daily UPI limit in your bank app. Raise it only for a specific transaction. 6. Verify the payee name that shows up before approving. 7. Enable UPI Lite for small payments — it caps risk automatically. 8. Report a fraud to 1930 within 24 hours to maximise the chance of reversal.
Share this list with anyone in your family who's new to UPI. The elderly are the most-targeted group in current fraud data.