UPI and QR code payment scams on marketplaces, and how to avoid them

To receive money by UPI, you never scan a QR code, never accept a "collect" request and never enter your UPI PIN. Your PIN is only for sending money. If anyone asks you to do any of these things "to receive payment", it is a scam.

Most marketplace payment scams target sellers, because sellers are expecting money. The scammer poses as an eager buyer, often agreeing to your price without negotiating.

• The QR code to "receive" money: the buyer sends a QR code and asks you to scan it to receive the payment. Scanning it and entering your PIN sends money to them.
• The collect request: you get a UPI request that looks like an incoming payment. Approving it with your PIN pays the scammer.
• The fake screenshot or SMS: a doctored screenshot or a text message that looks like a bank alert says the money has been sent. Nothing has arrived.
• The "extra" payment: the buyer claims to have sent too much and asks you to return the difference, using a fake payment as proof.
• The verification fee: a fake "buyer" or "marketplace agent" asks you to pay a small fee to verify your account, unlock a payment or arrange delivery.
• The impersonated official: someone claims to be from the army, a company or the marketplace and cannot meet but will pay "through the system".
• The remote access app: you are asked to install a screen-sharing app to "help" with a payment, giving the scammer control of your phone.

Open your own bank app or UPI app and check the balance or transaction history. Do not trust a screenshot, a forwarded message or an SMS from an unfamiliar number. Banks send alerts from their own sender IDs; even then, the app is the place to confirm.

For a large amount, consider meeting at the buyer's bank branch, or ask for a bank transfer that you can see settle before handing over the item.

Buyers face the reverse: sellers who want an advance, a token amount or a "courier charge" before you have seen the item. Pay only after inspecting it, and pay to the person you are meeting.

AltF Marketplace does not handle money. A buyer places an order, which shares the seller's contact details with that buyer, and the two of you settle the price directly when you meet. There is no fee to list, no fee to buy and no "verification" charge. Anyone asking you to pay AltF Marketplace for anything is not us.

Because contact details are shared only through an order, your phone number is not published on the listing for anyone to copy.

Act quickly. Call the national cyber crime helpline 1930 or report at cybercrime.gov.in, and contact your bank's fraud line to try to stop the transfer. Keep the chat, the phone number, the UPI ID and screenshots of the transaction. Then report the listing or the buyer to us.