Visakhapatnam: Vizianagaram SP Vakul Jindal issued a directive on Wednesday about a sophisticated new cybercrime scheme named the 'jumped deposit scam' targeting UPI users. The scam involves criminals making small deposits of up to Rs.5,000 into the victims' accounts, followed by a notification message about the deposit. When unsuspecting users check their balance through UPI and enter their PIN, criminals gain access to their accounts and quickly drain all available funds.
"Cybercriminals are constantly evolving their tactics, and this new scheme represents a significant threat to our citizens' financial security. We're seeing increasing cases where people lose their savings within minutes of receiving these deceptive deposits, said SP Vakul Jindal.
The SP has issued several safety guidelines asking the public to wait 15 to 30 minutes before checking the balance after receiving an unexpected deposit notification. This allows the scammer's request time to expire. He also suggested to intentionally entering an incorrect PIN to cancel any potentially fraudulent requests.
He emphasised that UPI PIN numbers should never be shared with anyone and recommends contacting banks directly to verify any suspicious transactions.
Victims of cyber fraud are urged to file complaints within the first hour (golden hour) through the local cyber-crime police station, the cyber-crime portal, or by calling 1930.
