State Bank of India (SBI) has cautioned customers about the “Jumped Deposit” scam. In it, an unknown person sends money to your account and then calls, asking you to return it. Once the victim trusts the caller, the fraudster pushes them to approve a large UPI payment request.
How the trap works
Police advisories describe the same pattern. Fraudsters credit a small sum, often around Rs 5,000, which triggers an SMS alert urging the victim to check their balance. When the victim opens their banking app and enters their PIN, they may unknowingly approve a withdrawal request. That lets the scammer take a far larger amount. In another version, the fraudster phones with a made-up story and asks for a bigger sum to be sent back.
What customers should do
These precautions come from police advisories, not from SBI.
Wait 15 to 30 minutes before checking your balance after an unexpected deposit, so any fraudulent request can expire.
If a PIN prompt appears for a request you didn’t initiate, entering a wrong PIN can cancel it.
Never share your UPI PIN or OTP with anyone, and verify suspicious credits directly with your bank.
Report fraud within the first hour, the “golden hour”, through the local cyber-crime police station, the cyber-crime portal or the 1930 helpline.
An important clarification
NPCI has said that no instances of fraud as described in media reports on this scam have been observed on the UPI platform. The scam can only drain an account if the fraudster gets direct access to it. The risk lies in what customers approve, not in a flaw in UPI itself.