UPI users beware! Calls from these numbers will empty your account balance in one go, know how to stay safe

According to a report by PCMag, whenever labels like No Caller ID, Scam Likely, Telemarketing or Unknown Caller appear on a phone, be alert. These labels often warn that the call is suspicious. Calls with telemarketing tag are usually for promotion or sales but sometimes scammers are also hidden in them. If you ignore such calls, you can keep both your money and personal information safe.

No Caller ID means that the caller has deliberately hidden his identity. Although this may be due to some personal reason, in most of the cases scammers do this so that they cannot be identified. Whereas Unknown Caller means that the information about the number is not recorded in the phone system i.e. it could be a new, unverified or suspicious number.

The safest approach in such cases is to let unknown calls go straight to voicemail. If the call is genuine the caller will leave a message. You can decide for yourself after listening to the message whether to return the call or not. Don’t leave a personal greeting on your voicemail so scammers don’t know the number is active.

Apart from this, go to your phone’s settings and turn on the feature of Silence Unknown Callers or Block Unknown Numbers. With this, unknown calls will automatically go to voicemail and you will remain safe. If you get some important information in a call, then instead of calling back immediately, first search that number online. If it is found to be associated with a scam, block it immediately.

Remember, scammers are smarter than ever. Therefore, next time when you get a call from a strange number, do not receive it without thinking otherwise your one mistake can make your entire UPI balance disappear.