The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) has launched a public awareness initiative urging citizens to stay vigilant against text message scams, warning that fraudsters are increasingly exploiting trust, fear and urgency to target users of digital payment platforms. As India advances towards a digital-first economy, NPCI said awareness remains one of the strongest safeguards against financial fraud. According to NPCI, fraudulent SMS messages are designed to trick users into compromising their money, personal information or digital accounts by impersonating banks, government agencies, telecom operators, delivery companies or other trusted organisations. Scammers commonly attempt to persuade users to click fake links, call fraudulent customer care numbers, download malicious applications, disclose sensitive information such as OTPs, UPI PINs and passwords, or transfer money through deceptive payment alerts.
NPCI has advised users to carefully read every message, verify requests only through official websites, apps or customer care channels, download applications exclusively from trusted app stores, avoid sharing confidential credentials and cross-check bank account statements before acting on credit notifications. It also encouraged users to save evidence of suspicious messages and report cyber fraud through the national cybercrime helpline 1930 or the Department of Telecommunications. Established by the Reserve Bank of India and the Indian Banks’ Association, NPCI operates India’s retail payment infrastructure, including UPI, RuPay, IMPS, NACH, AePS, NETC and e-RUPI, and continues to promote secure and inclusive digital payment systems.
The awareness campaign is expected to benefit the city’s expanding base of digital payment users, including retailers, small businesses and consumers who increasingly rely on UPI and other cashless payment modes. As digital transactions continue to gain momentum across Mizoram, greater awareness of SMS-based fraud could strengthen consumer confidence, reduce cybercrime risks and support safer adoption of digital financial services in the region.