Rise in fake UPI payment cases leaves merchants worried
Several such incidents have been reported from different parts of the State in recent months, with two silver merchants in Muvattupuzha being the victims in the latest reported incidents.
Small merchants are reportedly becoming targets of scammers utilizing fake UPI payment confirmations. This has led to increased concern among the merchant community and police. Recently, two silver merchants in Muvattupuzha fell victim to a scam, losing ₹16,000 and ₹6,000 respectively. The scammers showed them fake screenshots of completed payments, convincing the owners that the transactions were successful.
CCTV footage of the Muvattupuzha incident has gone viral. The Muvattupuzha police have launched an investigation after receiving complaints from merchants. This follows a case in Malappuram where a youth was arrested for using a fake app to simulate successful UPI transactions to steal valuable items. Merchants' forums have intensified efforts to combat these frauds after multiple incidents have occurred.
Ajmal Chakkungal, president of the Muvattupuzha Merchants Association, stated that the group of 2,200 members has launched an active campaign to educate merchants about potential frauds. Cyber police sources have emphasized that merchants should not solely rely on payment screenshots, as they may be manipulated or generated using fraudulent applications.
Written by urgent.news from The Hindu's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
