CERT-In alerts people about fake UPI IDs seeking donations towards PM-CARES Fund

Cyber security watchdog CERT-In has alerted people about fake UPI IDs similar to that of PM-CARES Fund and appealed to all to check the authenticity of the original ID before donating.

The IDs have been created on UPI handle of Indian banks including PNB, HDFC Bank, SBI, ICICI Bank, Yes Bank, to mislead people.

"CERT-In has received several reports about fake UPI IDs, which are similar to the UPI ID used by the 'Prime Minister's Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations (PM-CARES) Fund," the cyber watchdog said.

CERT-In said that pmcares@pnb, pmcares@hdfcbank, pmcare@yesbank, pmcare@ybl, pmcare@upi, pmcare@sbi and pmcare@icici are fake ids.

"It may be noted that the genuine UPI Id is "pmcares@sbi" and registered account name is "PM CARES". It is advised that citizens may verify the UPI ID and registered name before making any donations," CERT-In said.

The Prime Minister's Office had announced setting up of this fund on March 28 with the primary objective of dealing with any kind of emergency or distress situation, like posed by the coronavirus pandemic, and to provide relief to the affected, a public charitable trust.