The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) has highlighted five essential safety guidelines to help consumers safeguard digital payments and personal financial information during the festive season, amid increased shopping activity and the growing risk of online fraud.
Recognising that festivals bring a surge in online and offline purchases, attractive discounts, limited-period sales and cashback promotions, NPCI has urged consumers to remain vigilant against fraudulent activities involving social engineering and misleading offers.
The corporation has advised users to shop exclusively through official applications and websites, avoid suspicious links and unknown downloads, and complete payments only through authorised platform checkout systems after verifying seller details.
NPCI has also cautioned against unsolicited cashback, free vouchers and festival gift messages seeking OTPs, banking details or upfront fees. It emphasised that OTPs are meant solely to authenticate transactions initiated by users and should never be disclosed to callers or individuals claiming to represent banks or payment applications.
Additionally, consumers have been advised not to respond to messages creating urgency through claims of expiring offers, failed payments or account blocking. Such communications should be verified through official applications, websites or customer support channels.
As part of its consumer awareness initiative, NPCI is promoting the ‘Stop, Think, Act’ principle, encouraging users to pause, verify unexpected requests and make informed decisions to ensure secure and seamless digital payment experiences.
