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Festive Season Cyber Fraud: 5 Essential Tips to Protect Your Money
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News18•06-10-2026, 15:13
Festive Season Cyber Fraud: 5 Essential Tips to Protect Your Money
- •Cybercriminals exploit the surge in online shopping and UPI transactions during the festive season by offering fake discounts, cashbacks, and rewards.
- •Always verify links before clicking on promotional messages, WhatsApp texts, or emails to avoid falling for convincing fake shopping websites.
- •Remember that you never need to enter a UPI PIN to receive money, and be cautious of QR codes or collect requests disguised as refunds.
- •Beware of phishing scams and fake customer care numbers regarding delivery updates or failed payments; always use official company websites for support.
- •Never share sensitive information like OTPs, UPI PINs, or banking passwords over the phone with individuals claiming to be bank or delivery officials.
Key Questions Answered
According to Quick Heal's India Cyber Threat Report 2025, a total of 369.01 million malware detections were recorded across 8.44 million endpoints in India, averaging 702 detections every minute.
No, there is never any need to enter a UPI PIN to receive money or cashbacks. Be cautious if someone asks you to scan a QR code or accept a collect request in the name of a refund or prize.
You should keep your phone's operating system and all apps updated, use a strong screen lock, and download applications exclusively from official app stores. Additionally, periodically check the permissions granted to your apps and delete any that are no longer needed.
