The State Bank of India has warned customers about a rising digital fraud known as the “jumped deposit” scam, which exploits a victim’s own curiosity to drain their bank account. As UPI payments become ubiquitous across India, scammers are finding ever more cunning ways to turn convenience into vulnerability.
The trap is psychological rather than technical. Fraudsters begin by depositing a small, unsolicited sum, often a few thousand rupees, into a target’s account via UPI. The sudden credit triggers an SMS alert, nudging the curious recipient to open their banking app and check the balance.
That is precisely the moment of danger. While the victim is logged in, the scammer simultaneously fires off a withdrawal request for a much larger amount. In their haste to check the deposit, the user may enter their UPI PIN, unwittingly approving the fraudulent debit instead.
SBI’s advice centres on breaking this reflex. The bank, echoing an earlier Tamil Nadu Cyber Crime Wing advisory, urges customers never to rush. Waiting 15 to 30 minutes before checking the account lets any pending malicious request expire harmlessly.
A clever defensive trick is also recommended: if an unexpected PIN prompt appears, deliberately entering a wrong PIN can cancel the pending unauthorised transaction. Users should also report suspicious deposits to their bank and never share PINs or OTPs.
Importantly, the National Payments Corporation of India has clarified that it has not observed such fraud occurring through the UPI system itself, stressing that simply opening an app does not approve any payment. The vulnerability, experts say, lies in user behaviour, not the platform.
The broader lesson is sobering. With UPI fraud cases climbing sharply, vigilance, patience and a healthy suspicion of unexpected windfalls remain the strongest safeguards against an emptied account.
