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#41Working adultsSMSPhone callFull guideBank, UPI and cards
"Sent money to you by mistake, please return it"
A fake credit SMS or a small real transfer is followed by a request to return a larger "mistaken" amount.
Community reports: 0
How it works
- You receive an SMS that looks like a bank credit alert, or a small genuine transfer, from a stranger.
- The sender calls in distress, saying they sent a large amount by mistake, and asks you to return it to a different number.
- The credit was fake, or the money is from a fraud victim, so what you send is your own money or puts your account at risk.
What it looks like
Example messages. Numbers and links are masked.
Rs 9,000 credited to your A/c XX4521 by UPI from 98XXXXXX76. Avl Bal Rs 9,812 (sent from a mobile number, not your bank)
Sorry sir, I sent Rs 9,000 to you by mistake for my mother's treatment. Please return to this number urgently.
Red flags
- A credit alert from a mobile number
- A request to return money to a different number
- Emotional urgency
- The balance in your bank app does not match the SMS
The one question to ask
Does your bank app, not the SMS, show this money in your account?
Already paid or shared details?
Call 1930 at once: in the first hour the money can often still be frozen before it moves on. Then call your bank on the number printed on your card, and file a complaint at cybercrime.gov.in with screenshots of every message and payment.
1930 · cybercrime.gov.in
Also seen as
- Fake payment screenshots to shopkeepers
- Small real transfers from fraud victims to make your account a mule