UPI, cheap data and smartphones have made life easier — and also made it easier to get robbed without anyone ever touching your wallet.

Police, RBI and cybercrime cells have been repeating the same warning for years, and the case numbers keep rising: UPI frauds, fake trading apps, job scams, loan apps, “digital arrest”, romance-investment scams, the list goes on.

Here are seven scam patterns that are draining Indian bank accounts in 2025–26, and how they usually play out.

1. UPI & QR-code traps

UPI is now the default way to pay in India — which makes it the default hunting ground for scammers too. Banks and security bodies keep flagging the same patterns: phishing links, fake payment apps, QR-code tricks, SIM swaps and “collect request” frauds.

How it usually works

• You get an SMS/WhatsApp/email or a call pretending to be from your bank, income tax, or a delivery company.
• You’re asked to “verify” details, click a link, or install a “support” or “UPI” app.
• Or you’re selling something online and the buyer sends a QR code “to receive money” — but scanning it actually authorises a payment from your account.
• In more advanced cases, they get a remote-access app onto your phone and watch while you type your PIN.

How people lose money

• Sharing UPI PIN/OTP on a call.
• Approving a “collect request” without reading it.
• Scanning a QR code assuming money will come in, not go out.

Basic defences

• Never share UPI PIN or OTP with anyone. Banks don’t ask, ever.
• Treat every QR from a stranger as hostile unless you’re at a physical shop.
• Check every UPI notification: is it “pay” or “collect”? Is the amount correct?

2. Fake trading, crypto & “VIP group” investment scams

This is the scam that can wipe out life savings in a few weeks.

Across India, people are being added to WhatsApp or Telegram “VIP” trading groups that show fake screenshots of huge profits, then push them to use “special” apps or websites to trade stocks, forex or crypto. Police have reported multiple cases where individuals lost ₹1–2.5 crore each to such platforms.

How it usually works

• You get a DM or are quietly added to a group promising “guaranteed” returns.
• An “expert” or “mentor” teaches you on Zoom/WhatsApp and shares “tips”.
• You’re told to deposit money into a trading app or website that looks very polished.
• You see fake profits inside the app, so you add more money.
• When you try to withdraw, you’re blocked or asked to pay “taxes/fees” first — then they vanish.

How people lose money

• Trusting SEBI/RBI logos and screenshots without checking if the platform is really registered.
• Believing profit screenshots and group chat “testimonials” that are fabricated.

Basic defences

• If returns are “guaranteed”, it’s a scam. Proper investments don’t promise daily/weekly fixed profits.
• Only use SEBI-registered brokers and apps listed on official sites, not links from WhatsApp.
• Never move large sums because “others in the group” are doing it.

3. Job & work-from-home scams

Job fraud has exploded: fake HRs, bogus companies, small “task” jobs, and full-blown fake recruitment drives. Government advisories and cyber police repeatedly warn that job scams are now a major category of online fraud. 

How it usually works

• You receive an email/SMS/WhatsApp: “Urgent hiring”, “Work from home, ₹5,000 a day”, “MNC opening”.
• There may be real-looking offer letters, interviews on Zoom, even fake joining forms.
• Then come the payment demands: registration fees, training fees, document verification, “security deposits”.
• In task-based scams, you’re paid a little at first for liking videos or writing fake reviews, then asked to invest money to “unlock higher commissions” — which never come back.

How people lose money

• Paying any kind of fee or deposit before getting a real job or seeing a real contract.
• Believing that “HR” on WhatsApp with a logo equals HR in real life.

Basic defences

• Real employers pay you — they don’t charge “processing” or “training” fees upfront.
• Cross-check company careers page, LinkedIn, and official email domains.
• For task apps, assume that if the earnings look abnormal for trivial work, it ends badly.

4. Instant loan apps & debt-trap harassment

Illegal loan apps promise “₹5,000 in 5 minutes, no paperwork” and deliver abuse, blackmail and sometimes suicide. RBI and the government have been cracking down on unauthorised digital lending apps and now maintain an official directory of approved apps because of the damage these rogue lenders cause. 

How it usually works

• An app on Play Store or sent via link offers instant loans with minimal KYC.

• When you install, it demands access to contacts, photos, and files.

• Interest, “processing fees” and penalties are far higher than what was shown.

• If you’re late even once, recovery agents start:

  • abusing you on calls,
  • spamming your contacts,
  • threatening to morph and share your photos.

How people lose money

• Paying back 3–5x the original small loan under threat and shame.
• Taking new loans from other apps to pay off the first one.

Basic defences

• Only borrow from lenders and apps listed on RBI’s official Digital Lending Apps directory.
• Never install a loan app that demands full contact list or gallery access.
• If you’re already trapped, talk to family and local cyber police — don’t suffer alone in silence.

5. Romance, dating & matrimonial scams

Dating apps and matrimonial sites are now a serious fraud channel. Telangana alone recorded hundreds of dating app scam victims in a year, with crores lost. The Home Ministry’s cyber unit has also warned about investment scams that start on matrimonial and dating platforms. 

How it usually works

• A “perfect” match appears: NRI professional, army officer, doctor, or successful trader.

• They talk daily, send gifts (or claim to), share “personal” stories, and quickly build trust.

• Then comes the money angle:

  • “I’m stuck at customs, need clearance fees for your gift.”
  • “Let’s invest together in this crypto/trading platform, I’m already making huge returns.”

• The victim sends money, often multiple times, hoping to recover it or save the relationship.

• Once enough is extracted, the scammer disappears or turns abusive.

How people lose money

• Confusing steady chatting and emotional intimacy with proof of identity.
• Sending large sums to someone they’ve never met in person or verified offline.

Basic defences

• Never send money or invest based on the advice of someone you only know online.
• Be suspicious of anyone who moves fast: love, marriage, or investment.
• Do basic checks: video calls, mutual contacts, reverse image search of their photos.

6. Parcel, customs & “digital arrest” scams

A rising class of scams targets fear, not greed. Victims get calls claiming to be from courier firms, customs, police or even CBI, accusing them of sending illegal parcels, doing money laundering, or being linked to crime. An 85-year-old woman in Delhi recently lost ₹1.3 crore after scammers threatened her with “digital arrest” and made her transfer money repeatedly. 

How it usually works

• You receive a call: “Your parcel has drugs/documents…”, “We are from cyber cell…”, “Your Aadhaar/PAN is linked to a crime.”

• A fake “officer” then joins the call, sometimes on video, showing bogus ID cards.

• They keep you on the line for hours, isolate you from family, and scare you into:

  • sharing OTPs and account details, or
  • transferring money to “safe accounts” for “verification” or “audit”.

How people lose money

• Believing that police, CBI or banks resolve issues over WhatsApp/Skype instead of official channels.
• Acting in panic instead of calling a trusted person or local police station directly.

Basic defences

• No real Indian police station, court or bank asks you to transfer money to “secure” accounts over a WhatsApp call.
• If someone claims to be law enforcement, hang up and call the official number of that police station or department yourself.
• Involve a family member immediately; isolation is part of the scam script.

7. “KYC expired”, support calls & classic phishing

Old-school phishing hasn’t gone away; it has just adapted to UPI, net banking and wallets.

RBI and CERT-In keep warning about fake sites and messages using bank or RBI logos to trick people into giving away passwords, PINs and card details. 

How it usually works

• SMS/WhatsApp/email saying:

  • “Your account will be blocked: update KYC now.”
  • “Your card/UPI will be disabled: verify here.”

• The link leads to a site that looks exactly like your bank’s page.

• You type your ID, password, card details, CVV, OTP.

• Or you get a call from someone claiming to be “customer care”, who patiently walks you through “verification” while recording everything.

How people lose money

• Logging into fake bank sites and giving away everything in one go.
• Sharing OTPs, thinking they’re just “verifying identity”.

Basic defences

• Type bank URLs yourself or use the official app; never trust links in messages.
• Ignore KYC/blocked/account messages that come from random mobile numbers or look off.
• Remember the simple rule: if you didn’t start the call, don’t do sensitive actions during the call.

The simple, boring rule that saves money

Most of these scams have one of two hooks:

1. Greed or hurry – big returns, quick profit, easy job, instant loan.
2. Fear or shame – police, parcels, “digital arrest”, loan harassment, relationship pressure.

Anytime a stranger online is pushing you into a money decision with either of those levers, slow down. Call someone you trust. Check the official website. Search the exact message online — chances are, it’s already in a cybercrime advisory.

And if money has already gone: don’t sit on it.

In India, reporting quickly to helpline 1930 or cybercrime.gov.in, and to your bank, can sometimes freeze or claw back funds if you act in the first few hours — the “golden hour” that cyber cells keep talking about. 

That single phone call is worth more than any “hack” you’ll ever read on the internet.

Useful links:

31 Days of Money Confidence (Without Getting Scammed)