As the festive season begins in India, the use of online shopping, UPI payments and digital offers increases significantly. Cell and cashback messages are constantly coming on the mobile. There are many offers on e-commerce apps and sometimes there are messages related to delivery, refund or banking. Cyber thugs also try to take advantage of this increased digital activity.
People are busy with shopping, traveling and payments during festivals. In such a situation, fraudsters can force people to make a hasty decision in the name of fake discounts, cashbacks, refunds or important updates. According to Quick Heal’s India Cyber Threat Report 2025, India recorded 369.01 million malware detections across 8.44 million endpoints. That means there were an average of 702 checks per minute. In such a situation, some small precautions during the festivities can go a long way in protecting against online fraud.
1. Wait before clicking on the offer link
During the festive season, messages like ‘today only’, ‘limited cashback’ and ‘claim rewards now’ become common. Their purpose is often to get the user to click immediately without thinking. Read the link carefully before clicking on any offer received on WhatsApp, SMS, email or social media. Be wary of misspelled website names, strange URLs, unknown attachments, or messages asking for personal or banking information.
A fake shopping website can look similar to a real website. So, instead of buying from the link provided in the message, open the official website or app yourself and check the offers there.
2. Don’t rush UPI payment
Increased UPI payments during festivals may also increase the risk of UPI fraud. Fraudsters may ask you to approve a payment or scan a QR code, pretending to receive a refund, cashback or reward. Remember, there is no need to enter UPI PIN to receive money through UPI. If someone asks you to scan a QR code or accept a collection request in the name of a refund or reward, beware. Before making payment, please check recipient name and amount. If you find anything suspicious, stop the transaction and seek information through the official channel of the concerned company or organization.
3. Avoid fake customer care and phishing
Due to the increase in online orders during festivals, there are also more messages regarding delivery updates, order confirmations and refunds. Cyber thugs can take advantage of these things and do phishing. For example, you may receive a message that your parcel is stuck, a payment has failed, or your account needs to be verified. The link in the message may take you to a fake website where passwords, card details or other personal information may be stolen. Fraudsters can also pose as fake customer care personnel and ask to install an OTP or remote access application. In such a situation, instead of calling the number given in the message, manually search the customer care number from the company’s official website.
4. Don’t trust everyone on the phone
Cyber fraud is not just about messages or links. A person can make a call posing as a bank official, delivery agent or customer care employee. Often times, scammers already know some general information about you, which makes their words seem more credible. Never share your OTP, UPI PIN, card PIN or banking password over the phone. If someone says that if you don’t take immediate action your bank account will be blocked, payment will fail or any reward will expire, beware. Fraudsters often force people to make wrong decisions out of fear or haste.
5. Protect your phone before the festivities
During the festive season, smartphone usage for shopping, UPI payments, travel booking and communication increases significantly. Therefore, it is also necessary to pay attention to the security of the phone. Keep your phone’s operating system and all apps updated. Use a strong screen lock and download apps only from official app stores. Also check the permissions given to apps from time to time and remove apps that are not required.
