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Scam explainer
UPI, QR code and collect-request fraud also called UPI fraud, QR code scam, Collect request scam, Screen-sharing app fraud, Fake payment screenshot
Tricks that get you to enter your UPI PIN, scan a QR code or install a screen-sharing app when you think you are receiving money or a refund.
How it works
- A 'buyer' on a marketplace, a 'refund' agent or a stranger says they want to pay you.
- They send a QR code to scan or a payment link, and say you need to enter your UPI PIN to receive the money.
- Entering the PIN actually sends money from your account.
- In other versions, a 'support agent' asks you to install a screen-sharing or remote-access app and then watches you type your PIN.
- Shopkeepers and sellers are also shown fake payment screenshots or SMS for money that never arrived.
Red flags
- Any request for your UPI PIN when you are supposed to receive money; you never need a PIN to receive.
- Being asked to scan a QR code 'to get paid'.
- Requests to install AnyDesk, TeamViewer or similar apps for 'support' or a 'refund'.
- A payment screenshot that does not show up in your own bank or UPI app.
- Urgency: 'do it now or the refund will lapse'.
What to do
- Call 1930 immediately and file a complaint on cybercrime.gov.in; quick reports give the best chance of freezing money.
- Report the transaction to your bank and in your UPI app, and block UPI if your PIN may be exposed.
- Uninstall any screen-sharing or remote-access app you installed at a stranger's request.
- Change your UPI PIN from a clean device.
- Always confirm a payment in your own app or bank statement before handing over goods.
Step-by-step guideLost money in a UPI fraud? What to do in the first hour, and how to complain on 1930
The numbers
Reported UPI fraud losses peaked in FY24 and have eased since. NPCI stopped person-to-person UPI collect requests from 1 October 2025 (Outlook Business/PTI), but QR-code, screen-sharing and fake-screenshot tricks continue.
- UPI-related frauds cost ₹805 crore across 10.64 lakh incidents in FY26 up to November 2025, the Finance Ministry told the Lok Sabha. — Madhyamam — UPI-linked frauds amount to Rs 805 crore so far in FY26: Govt (15 Dec 2025)
- UPI fraud losses were ₹1,087 crore in FY24 (13.42 lakh incidents) and ₹981 crore in FY25 (12.64 lakh incidents), per the same Lok Sabha reply. — Madhyamam — UPI-linked frauds amount to Rs 805 crore so far in FY26: Govt (15 Dec 2025)
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