Making payments using UPI? Remember UPI Safety Shield’s 4 safety tips

New Delhi, July 02: The COVID times have made us understand how the relentless human spirit can help overcome any difficult phase in life. All of us have shown months of resilience and courage, but we can't let our guards down; the more cautious we are, the sooner we will be able to come out of this.

Turn to digital payments and start using UPI to enable an added layer of security to your transactions. UPI (Unified Payments Interface) is a unique payment system where you can make bank-to-bank transfers using a unique UPI ID of the receiver. The money can be sent from one UPI app to any other UPI enabled app. While transferring money, follow these four safety tips of the UPI Safety Shield to ensure secure payments:

1. Know who you are transferring money to First, you must verify the UPI ID of the person before initiating the payment to ensure that the money is sent to the right person. Just like you would need an email id to send an email to another person, similarly you need the UPI ID of the person to whom you wish to send money. Every UPI user has a unique UPI ID assigned to them, which gets created when registering on UPI. Through this UPI ID, users can send and receive money via any UPI enabled app.

In case you have forgotten your UPI ID, refer to the profile page of your UPI enabled app.

2. Keep your UPI PIN confidential One must never share their UPI PIN with anyone and enter it only on the UPI PIN page. It is similar to an ATM pin which must be kept secure.

UPI PIN is a 4-6 digit number created by the user. Without entering your unique UPI PIN, the user will not be able to send money through their UPI-enabled app. UPI PIN is to be entered on the UPI PIN page only. A UPI PIN page is seen before the user enters the amount they wish to transfer. (Please note: This UPI PIN page will appear on the app and not in any other browser.) Entering a UPI PIN will confirm the transaction, which means that once the user has entered the PIN, the amount will get deducted and the money will be transferred to the recipient.

A UPI PIN is required to send money from the user's bank account. It is an essential step towards confirming the amount and allowing the deduction of it. To receive payments, the user does not need to enter their UPI PIN.

UPI PIN is a confidential PIN that only the user should know. If there is a request to share or enter it on another page, do not go ahead with that as it may misguide you to get duped.

3. Check the debited amount on SMS notifications The debited money SMS is received almost immediately once the transaction is completed. This SMS should always be checked to confirm the amount that has been transferred. An SMS also works as an instant alert for any money debit from your account.

4. Check the 'UPI-Help' section of the UPI app for any issues If there is an issue with the payment process or with a transaction, seek immediate resolution on the UPI app itself, through UPI-Help. The UPI-Help section is fully equipped to sort out your issues.

The UPI-Help feature is available on the UPI app. Users can use this feature to check the status of the transactions, to raise complaints about any deductions or even the processing of an amount. The UPI-Help feature will provide a solution to any payment problem faced by the user. All you need to do is visit the UPI-Help section within your UPI app and raise a complaint.

By simply remembering these four important tips, you can ensure that every payment made on the UPI app is totally secure, and you can use this mode of contactless payment to keep yourself safe during the pandemic.

To create awareness about UPI Safety Shield, National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) has launched a campaign wherein our beloved Mrs Rao is back with a new YouTube video giving us safety tips on how to effectively use UPI for payments.

"Jab bhi UPI se payment karein, UPI Safety Shield ki chaar batein yaad rakhen (Each time you make a payment using UPI, remember these four tips about UPI Safety Shield)," Mrs Rao tells us in the video.

To watch Mrs Rao's latest video, 'UPI Safety Shield ki 4 zaruri baatein', and get more information on UPI Safety Shield, click on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3sjvZQIz4Xo.