UPI's new ad with Pankaj Tripathi prompts the use of 'common sense' against digital fraud

The Indian instant payment system Unified Payments Interface (UPI) has rolled out a fresh ad campaign—#MainMoorkhNahiHoon—featuring ever charming Pankaj Tripathi  serving up common sense against online scams.

In this cheeky spot, Tripathi takes on the role of a peanut seller who receives a fraudulent lottery message. He explains that he may sell peanuts, he is no nut when it comes to spotting a scam, reinforcing UPI’s key message: I am not a fool (#MainMoorkhNahiHoon). It’s a friendly nudge for the public to think twice before clicking on suspicious links and to keep their guard up against those sneaky scamsters.

In November 2023, UPI hired Tripathi as the ‘UPI Safety Ambassador’ to raise awareness about the digital payment platform’s safety.

Earlier this year, UPI collaborated with several Bollywood actors such as Shakti Kapoor, Varun Sharma, Sudha Chandran, and Gulshan Grover along with Tripathi to make people aware about the possible ways through which cyber frauds take place, such as QR codes that are always used to pay money and not receive it, not to tap on suspicious links, and always reach out to a company's official website to contact it and not refer to any other websites.

Google Pay, a mobile payment service, has launched a series of ads featuring Bollywood actors such as Rana Daggubati, Neena Gupta, Rajkummar Rao, and Sanya Malhotra, with the aim of promoting online safety and raising awareness about avoiding UPI scams.

These campaigns emphasise secure digital transactions, warning users about common scams, such as phishing and fraudulent UPI links, while educating them on how to protect their personal and financial information.

The initiative was a part of Google Pay’s broader effort to combat the rising incidents of online scams, empowering users to stay vigilant while benefiting from the convenience of UPI payments.

As per the Union finance ministry, over 95,000 fraud cases of UPI transactions were recorded in the country in 2022-23, which is an increase from 77,000 cases in 2020-21, and 84,0000 cases in 2021-22.

The types of fraud reported include phishing attacks, fake payment requests, and impersonation scams. Lack of financial literacy and awareness about security practices in digital payments leads to the targeting of many victims.

To curb the same, in November 2023, the Indian government announced a minimum time delay for initial transactions between two users, particularly for amounts exceeding Rs 2,000.

As per a report from Indian Express, officials are contemplating a four-hour window for the first transaction. Cybercriminals and fraudsters view the proposed delay as a safety net to deter them from exploiting the speed and convenience of UPI transactions.