Kozhikode: The general public has been cautioned that any fraud that may happen through the Unified Payment Interface (UPI) will be due to carelessness on the part of users. K.V. Harindran, an expert in the field, pointed out that UPI, with four levels of encryption, was safe and reliable, and that no one could interfere in the transaction process. However, any leakage of the secret pin number will cause trouble.
Speaking at a workshop on cashless transactions organised by the Regional Science Centre and Planetarium in Kozhikode on Wednesday, the former Punjab National Bank official advised customers to use the payment interface of banks other than the one in which they had their accounts. “Also, make sure that the application is downloaded only from Google Play Store,” he said, adding that one UPI could be used for up to five different bank accounts, and that the user ID could also be diverse. So far, 30 banks in the country have adapted to UPI.
“UPI is the answer to difficulties involved in transaction of lower denominations. It offers a direct link between the bank accounts of merchants and consumers so that there is no need for cash any longer,” Mr. Harindran said. Through power-point presentations and videos, he explained how even wayside vendors, small tea shop owners, and autorickshaw drivers could use UPI.
“The government offers 10 per cent off to those who pay vehicle insurances online,while it is 8 per cent for LIC premiums. Card swiping for up to Rs.2,000 is free of service tax, while the toll fee is 10 per cent less if paid online,” Mr. Harindran said, explaining the efforts made by the Centre to promote online transactions.
A 24-hour toll-free helpline number 14444 is available to clear doubts regarding online transactions.
