The unified payments interface (UPI) was a huge success. On the other hand, people are increasingly being cheated when conducting online transactions. UPI frauds contributed significantly to a 15.3% increase in the overall number of complaints reported on the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal (NCRP) between the first and second quarters of 2022, according to data from the Ministry of Home Affairs.
While the total number of registered complaints in the first quarter of 2022 was 206,198, it increased by 15.3 percent to 237,658 in the second quarter. The number of 'UPI fraud complaints,' a cyber crime category under NCRP, increased from 62,350 in Q1 2022 to 84,145 in Q2 2022.
When compared to other NCRP cyber crime categories such as debit/credit card fraud, internet banking-related fraud, and others, this represents a 34% increase.
These overall figures correspond to an increase in the number of cybercrime complaints registered on the NCRP portal since 2021.
This rise can be attributed to the expansion of digital payment systems since the Covid-19 pandemic, which has allowed small businesses to enter the ecosystem. UPI payments increased by more than 1,200 percent in the six months ending in September, according to an RBI report.
According to the MHA report, "Online financial fraud, a cyber crime category under NCRP is the most prevalent among others, as 67.9 percent of the total reported cyber crime were 'online financial frauds. However, no actual figures for this category were provided in the report.
Debit/credit card/sim swap fraud increased from Q1 to Q2 of 2022, which falls under financial fraud. In Q2, the figures were 26,793 compared to 24,270 in Q1. Nevertheless, complaints about internet banking decreased in the second quarter of 2022. While the figure was 20,443 in the first quarter of 2022, it fell to 19,267 in the second quarter.
UPI transactions are increasing
Unified Payments Interface (UPI) transactions hit a new high of Rs 12,11 lakh crore in October, six months after surpassing Rs 10 lakh crore in May.
This figure is expected to rise, with the RBI's Payment Vision 2025 projecting that UPI will grow by 50% on an annualized basis. This increased adoption of UPI will unintentionally contribute to an increase in UPI fraud.
In response, the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) launched 'UPI-Help' on the Bharat Interface for Money (BHIM) UPI last year to provide a simple grievance resolution mechanism.
One can view their transaction history in the BHIM UPI application by selecting the 'raise a complaint option. The user can then choose which transaction requires a complaint to be filed. They can raise a concern by clicking "raise concern," describing the issue in an online complaint and submitting it.
NPCI also launched the Safety Shield campaign earlier this year to assist users with online payments via UPI.
