How to spot UPI, OTP and “task job” scams in a chat

Most online scams in India don’t start with a hacker. They start with a friendly conversation. The scammer is patient, polite and helpful, right up until they ask for money, an OTP, or a “small verification payment”. The good news: almost every scam follows one of a handful of scripts. Once you know them, they are easy to spot.

The golden rules

Before the details, three rules that stop nearly every UPI scam:

1. You never need to enter your UPI PIN to receive money. A PIN is only ever needed to send money or check your balance. If someone asks you to enter your PIN “to receive” a payment, it is a scam.
2. Never share an OTP with anyone. Not a “bank officer”, not a “delivery agent”, not a new friend. Banks and companies never ask for OTPs.
3. Real refunds, prizes and jobs don’t ask you to pay first. Any request for a “processing fee”, “tax” or “registration charge” before you get money is a scam.

Scripts to recognise

The collect request

Someone offers to pay you, maybe for something you’re selling, or as a “refund”. Instead of sending money, they send a collect request, which asks you to pay. Your UPI app shows a “Pay” button and asks for your PIN. If you approve it, money leaves your account.

Tell-tale sign: you are asked to approve something to receive money.

The task job

A message says you can earn ₹500 to ₹5,000 a day from home by liking videos, writing reviews or rating hotels. The first few tasks actually pay small amounts. Then you are moved to a “premium” or “prepaid” task where you must deposit money to unlock bigger earnings, and the deposits never come back.

Tell-tale sign: a job that pays you to do trivial tasks, then asks you to invest.

The investment tip

A friendly stranger mentions they make great money trading crypto, stocks or forex through a special app or group, and offers to teach you. The app shows huge profits, but you can’t withdraw without paying “fees” or “taxes”.

Tell-tale sign: guaranteed returns, a private app or group, and pressure to act quickly.

The emergency

Someone you have been chatting with has a sudden crisis: a hospital bill, a stuck payment, a lost wallet. They only need a small amount, and they’ll pay you back tomorrow.

Tell-tale sign: someone you’ve never met in person needs money urgently.

The “digital arrest”

A caller or video caller claims to be from the police, CBI, customs or a courier company. They say a parcel in your name contained drugs, or your Aadhaar was used in a crime, and that you are under “digital arrest” until you pay to clear your name.

Tell-tale sign: there is no such thing as a digital arrest. Real police don’t interrogate you over video calls or demand payment to close a case.

How Chatavi helps

Chatavi automatically blocks UPI IDs, phone numbers, email addresses and links in chats, because moving you to another app or a payment is exactly what scammers need. Asking for money or OTPs is against our Community Guidelines and gets people banned.

If someone in a chat asks for money, an OTP, or tries to move you to WhatsApp or Telegram, don’t argue. Tap the menu, choose Report, and move on. The two of you will never be matched again.

If you have already lost money

Act fast: the first hours matter most.

• Call 1930, the national cyber crime helpline, or report at cybercrime.gov.in. Quick reports give banks a chance to freeze the money.
• Call your bank using the number on its official website or the back of your card, and ask them to block further transactions.
• Keep evidence: screenshots of chats, transaction IDs, phone numbers and UPI IDs used.
• Don’t pay anyone who promises to recover your money. “Recovery agents” are often the same scammers, back for a second round.

Being scammed is not a sign of stupidity. These scripts are written by professionals and tested on thousands of people. Reporting helps stop them doing it to someone else.