Delhi Police have arrested a 32-year-old man in connection with a mobile phone theft case linked to fraudulent UPI transactions worth over Rs 1.2 lakh.
Authorised push payment frauds have emerged as a growing challenge globally as scammers increasingly rely on social engineering techniques to persuade users to transfer money voluntarily, making recovery more difficult even when transactions are authenticated.
Link your UPI app to a separate bank account or wallet that has only a limited sum.
In FY24 alone, 1.34 million fraud cases were reported, amounting to losses of Rs 1,087 crore.
Over 700 doctors in Telangana have collectively lost nearly Rs 30 crore to various cyber frauds since September 2024, prompting the Telangana Cyber Security Bureau to hold an awareness meeting for healthcare professionals. Business and investment frauds accounted for the largest share of losses.
'It is a tradeoff between convenience and fraud prevention.'
Cyber intelligence firm CloudSEK reports that online fraudsters are using a new toolkit called 'Digital Lutera' to bypass security features of UPI apps and carry out fraudulent financial transactions.
Bhubaneswar police have busted a fraudulent digital escort service racket, arresting four individuals for allegedly misusing women's photographs on social media and cheating customers through online payments. The investigation, initiated by a woman's complaint, led to the seizure of digital evidence and a public advisory against such scams.
Delhi Police have arrested a man from Rajasthan for allegedly running an online shopping fraud racket, cheating people through fake social media advertisements offering discounted branded suits and sarees.
Delhi Police have dismantled an interstate cyber fraud syndicate, arresting three key operatives involved in siphoning off money through unauthorised banking transactions. The police successfully froze approximately Rs 4 lakh of the Rs 4.82 lakh stolen from a victim's account and recovered numerous debit cards, SIM cards, and mobile phones used in the operation.
Gujarat police have uncovered cyber frauds worth Rs 2,289 crore and arrested 638 individuals as part of 'Operation Mule Account 1.0', a state-wide crackdown on online criminals launched in 2025.
Kerala Police have issued a warning about a new form of cyber fraud targeting people buying mattresses online. Fraudsters pose as fake customer care representatives of mattress companies and pressure customers into making immediate payments.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has attached properties worth Rs 1.06 crore in connection with the 'Global Media App' fraud, an online earning platform that allegedly generated over Rs 45 crore through illicit means.
Gujarat police have arrested 10 individuals in connection with a cyber fraud racket involving over Rs 53 crore and spanning at least 20 states. The accused lured individuals into renting out their bank accounts, which were then used to receive and transfer funds obtained through various fraudulent schemes.
Kerala police have issued a warning about a sophisticated cyber fraud targeting football fans. Scammers are using fake OTT apps and social media advertisements promising free access to FIFA World Cup 2026 matches. These malicious apps gain control of users' phones and illegally withdraw money from bank accounts. The police advise downloading apps only from official stores and being cautious of suspicious permissions.
Gujarat police have arrested eight individuals for their alleged involvement in a cyber fraud network that handled transactions worth over Rs 288 crore. The arrests were made as part of 'Operation Mule Hunt 2.0', targeting organised cyber crime.
Delhi Police have arrested six individuals involved in a transnational cyber fraud syndicate that operated fake loan applications and siphoned money through mule bank accounts.
Customers will qualify for compensation even if they mistakenly share the OTP.
Gujarat cyber police have arrested 13 individuals allegedly involved in a network responsible for 982 cyber crimes across India, resulting in losses of over Rs 631 crore.
Police in Himachal Pradesh have arrested five individuals for allegedly assaulting a man and forcing him to transfer money via UPI.
Delhi Police have arrested 11 individuals involved in a cyber fraud racket operating from Delhi and Mumbai, which allegedly defrauded a senior citizen of over Rs 22 lakh with promises of high investment returns. The network is linked to international operators in Cambodia.
The amount involved in banking system frauds surged to Rs 21,515 crore in the first half of FY26, up 30 per cent from the same period last year, even as the number of frauds fell 2.8 times to 5,092.
LIC offices will remain open during normal working hours on Tuesday for customer convenience, following an advisory from Irdai. CoinDCX commits to invest in cybersecurity infrastructure, and PayNearby introduces UPI QR-based cash withdrawals.
Two-factor authentication for all digital transactions, including UPI, is now mandatory in India, as per RBI guidelines, to enhance security and curb fraud.
Delhi Police have arrested a 26-year-old man for allegedly siphoning off Rs 1.48 lakh from his paralysed brother-in-law's bank accounts after gaining the family's trust as his caretaker.
The proposed solution is a one-hour delay for digital transactions exceeding Rs 10,000, particularly when the transfer is made to a new or unverified beneficiary. The idea is simple -- give users a window to reconsider, detect fraud or alert their bank before the funds are irretrievably transferred.
The new UPI IDs will follow formats such as abc.bkr@validhdfc or xyz.mf@validhdfc. For easier recognition, they will also carry a white 'thumbs up' icon inside a green triangle.
A 20-year-old veterinary sciences student has been arrested in Rajasthan for his alleged involvement in an online work-from-home scam that defrauded job seekers with fake handwriting assignments.
Kerala Police have issued a warning about a new cyber fraud where scammers are using the image of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in fake social media advertisements to trick people into making online payments through PhonePe.
Police in Lucknow have arrested four people for allegedly using ChatGPT and graphic design software to create and sell fake IPL tickets outside the Ekana Stadium.
Fraud reported by banks declined in 2024-2025 to 23,953 as compared to 36,060 in the previous year though the amount involved jumped to Rs 36,014 crore from Rs 12,230 crore.
It will enable real-time intel sharing among banks and other financial sector participants to strengthen customer protection against digital fraud.
Delhi Police have arrested five individuals for allegedly abducting and robbing a man after luring him through a dating application in the Kalkaji area. The victim was assaulted, forced to transfer money, and later abandoned.
UPI has catapulted India into the forefront on the global digital payments landscape. Working hand in hand, the AePS payments system is making life easy for rural folks, notes Tamal Bandyopadhyay.
Google Pay, PhonePe, and Paytm may deliberately delay transactions, issue fraud alerts, and require an extra layer of user confirmation before processing any transactions that are likely to be classified as fraudulent.
The CBI has filed a chargesheet against 17 people, including four Chinese nationals, and 58 companies for their alleged roles in a transnational cyber fraud network that siphoned off over Rs 1,000 crore.
From April 1, 2026, the Reserve Bank of India's new authentication directions modernise how every digital payment you make must be verified -- and place the burden of security squarely on your bank, not on you.
Sebi Chairman Tuhin Kanta Pandey announced intensified surveillance and technology-driven enforcement to combat pre-investment scams targeting retail investors, who are increasingly being lured by fake trading apps and promises of high returns.
'Just like oral hygiene, cyber hygiene must become a daily habit,' says Beena Vaheed, executive director, Bank of Baroda. 'It is not enough to rely only on banks, companies, or the government. Each of us must play our part.'
We propose an expert group be set up to form a national strategy on digital fraud. This group would bring together skills in financial regulation, security economics, cyber defence, and public communications, and an understanding of the Indian financial and security systems. It should lay the foundations of a coordinated approach by the Indian State in fighting digital fraud, suggest Ajay Shah and Nandkumar Saravade.
