Airtel Safe Pay provides three-layer safety for a fraud-proof future

With Airtel Safe Pay transactions, money gets debited only after subscriber's nod

To protect Airtel customers from the growing menace of online payment frauds, Airtel Payments Bank has launched the Airtel Safe Pay. When customers transact via unified payments interface (UPI) or netbanking using Airtel Payments Bank, Airtel Safe Pay provides them with an additional layer of security.

While most players use a two-factor authentication, Airtel Safe Pay provides an additional, third-factor authentication.

Anubrata Biswas, managing director (MD) and chief executive officer (CEO), Airtel Payments Bank, says, “Airtel Safe Pay leverages Airtel’s telecom-exclusive strength of network intelligence to provide an additional layer of payment validation, compared to the industry norm of a two-factor authentication.”

Customers get an additional, real-time alert at the time of a UPI or netbanking transaction right before the customer’s account is debited.

Biswas says, “The debit will happen only when the customer approves the transaction.”

It is free of cost and offers protection against various types of frauds like phishing, stolen credentials or passwords, etc.

Experts say this is a good move.

Ritesh Bhatia, cybercrime investigator, cybersecurity and data privacy consultant, says, “Other banks should also adopt it. It goes beyond the two-factor authentication to multi-factor authentication, which makes it more secure.”

How does it work?

The customer receives an alert on his mobile device even if he does not have internet connectivity. Over-the-air technology uses the subscriber identity module to send the message.

Subscribers don’t need to authorise a transaction if money is being transferred to their account.

Bhatia says, “The fraudster makes you believe you need to do so. You end up sharing the personal identification number (PIN). Money then gets debited from your account. Here, you will get an additional message over and above the one-time password/PIN to approve a transaction.”

This message will inform you about the amount being debited and the name of the person to whom payment is being made. You need to give this additional approval after verifying both these details.

Don’t let your guard down  

Safe Pay can only be availed of by Airtel Payments Bank savings account customers who have an Airtel mobile number linked to the account. Whether you fall in this category or not, make sure you follow a few key steps to ensure your security, especially while making financial transactions over a mobile phone.

Rajesh Mirjankar, MD and CEO, Infrasoft Technologies, says, “Do not click on links in any text message, especially those from unknown agencies. It could be an attempt to skim money off your account.”

Also, pay attention to the name. The uniform resource locator www.your.bank.com is not the same as www.yourbank.com. Make a note of your stockbroker’s and bank’s official website and official email ID. Take these from communication received directly from representatives at the branch or from official correspondence, such as statements, cheque book, etc.  

Mirjankar adds, “Never share any text from your device if you are asked to do so, unless you are sure that the recipient is genuine. Scamsters coax you into sending text messages from your device. Doing so binds your device with a fraudulent identity. It then becomes easy to skim money off your account.”

Also, activate the switch on/off facility on your debit and credit card, and set transaction limits on them. All banks offer this facility. Alternatively, do not expose your primary bank account to online transactions. Open a second bank account and use it exclusively for online transactions and payments. You could also use a virtual card for this purpose.