Fraudsters using fake PM CARES Fund links to dupe people; don’t fall for it
Fraudsters never leave a chance to trap innocent people. This time they are using Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund (PM CARES Fund) as a means to fool people and steal their money. On Saturday, Maharashtra Cyber police officials said that fraudsters are using fake links to dupe people in the name coronavirus donations to the PM CARES Fund.
The officials have warned people and said that they are tracing such fake PM CARES links. Several such fake links have already been disabled. The officials have urged the citizens of India to use only the authentic link which is pmcares@sbi to donate funds in order to fight coronavirus outbreak.
Beware of Fake UPI IDs while contributing to #PMCaresFund. To donate through UPI, the correct ID is pmcares@sbi. Stay Alert, Stay Safe! #MyGovFactCheck pic.twitter.com/dYvOO3OGtH
— MyGovIndia (@mygovindia) April 3, 2020
The scams began soon after the PM CARES Fund was announced by the Indian government. Earlier we reported about other UPI scams related to the PM CARES Fund. Last week the Press Information Bureau (PIB) took to Twitter to alert users about a fake UPI id being floated on the internet. The fake UPI id claimed to be linked to the PM CARES Fund.
ALSO READ: PM CARES FUND fake UPI id scam: Make sure you donate to the correct ID
The genuine UPI id is
𝐩𝐦𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐬@𝐬𝐛𝐢 with the registered account name being
𝐏𝐌 𝐂𝐀𝐑𝐄𝐒#PMCares #UPI #CyberFrauds #BeSafeBeSecure #MahaCyber #StayCyberSafe https://t.co/XcDldL4FBa— Maharashtra Cyber (@MahaCyber1) April 3, 2020
Another fake id with pmcare@sbi is also circulating on the internet. This id could leave users confused about the correct id given the only difference between the fake and the original one is a ‘s’.
Tips to check for fake links
As also pointed by the officials, the original UPI id to donate to PM CARES Fund fir coronavirus outbreak is pmcares@sbi.
Ensure to recheck the official UPI id again and again before donating money. Also check the registered name of the account, which should be PM CARES. Ignpre or block accounts with PM CARE, P.M CARES, or PMCARES.
Oftentimes the fake id has some or the other error. Make sure to check the spelling of the id before donating money.
Ignore all payment requests. If you receive payment requests from unknown numbers on your UPI app like Google Pay or PhonePe it is best to ignore them and block right away.
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