Starting Feb 1, These UPI Transactions Will Be Blocked – Details Inside
If you rely on the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) for daily transactions—be it paying your cab fare, shopping online, or grabbing a quick chai—you might have noticed your app generating a transaction ID. These IDs are typically alphanumeric, but some have included special characters. That’s about to change.
Starting February 1, the National Payments Corporation of India ( NPCI ) will reject any UPI transactions with special characters in the transaction ID. In a circular issued on January 9, NPCI instructed all UPI service providers to ensure compliance with the technical specifications, strictly allowing only alphanumeric transaction IDs.
Though most UPI participants have already addressed this, a few remain non-compliant. NPCI has now made it clear—any transaction ID containing special characters will be declined by the central system. All entities in the UPI ecosystem must comply with this directive.
UPI payments have skyrocketed over the years, especially post-demonetisation in 2016. December 2024 saw a record-breaking 16.73 billion UPI transactions, an 8% jump from November’s 15.48 billion. In terms of value, December transactions totaled ₹23.25 lakh crore, surpassing November’s ₹21.55 lakh crore.
Meanwhile, a new scam dubbed the ‘Jumped Deposit’ scam has been making headlines. Fraudsters allegedly deposit small amounts into users' accounts and later trick them into authorizing large transactions. However, NPCI has reassured users that no such fraud has been detected on the UPI platform.
"In light of recent media reports concerning a new online fraud called ‘Jumped Deposit’ Scam, we have observed certain inaccuracies and technical discrepancies in these descriptions, that has led to unnecessary panic and confusion among users about the UPI platform," NPCI said in a statement.
NPCI clarified that UPI transactions cannot be processed without the user explicitly entering their UPI PIN, dismissing concerns over automatic approvals. Users are advised to remain vigilant and avoid authorizing unexpected payment requests.
“Simply opening a UPI or bank application does not automatically approve a transaction. Users must explicitly authorise a payment request by entering their UPI PIN. Without this step, no transaction can be processed,” NPCI further explained.
Starting February 1, the National Payments Corporation of India ( NPCI ) will reject any UPI transactions with special characters in the transaction ID. In a circular issued on January 9, NPCI instructed all UPI service providers to ensure compliance with the technical specifications, strictly allowing only alphanumeric transaction IDs.
Though most UPI participants have already addressed this, a few remain non-compliant. NPCI has now made it clear—any transaction ID containing special characters will be declined by the central system. All entities in the UPI ecosystem must comply with this directive.
UPI payments have skyrocketed over the years, especially post-demonetisation in 2016. December 2024 saw a record-breaking 16.73 billion UPI transactions, an 8% jump from November’s 15.48 billion. In terms of value, December transactions totaled ₹23.25 lakh crore, surpassing November’s ₹21.55 lakh crore.
Meanwhile, a new scam dubbed the ‘Jumped Deposit’ scam has been making headlines. Fraudsters allegedly deposit small amounts into users' accounts and later trick them into authorizing large transactions. However, NPCI has reassured users that no such fraud has been detected on the UPI platform.
"In light of recent media reports concerning a new online fraud called ‘Jumped Deposit’ Scam, we have observed certain inaccuracies and technical discrepancies in these descriptions, that has led to unnecessary panic and confusion among users about the UPI platform," NPCI said in a statement.
NPCI clarified that UPI transactions cannot be processed without the user explicitly entering their UPI PIN, dismissing concerns over automatic approvals. Users are advised to remain vigilant and avoid authorizing unexpected payment requests.
“Simply opening a UPI or bank application does not automatically approve a transaction. Users must explicitly authorise a payment request by entering their UPI PIN. Without this step, no transaction can be processed,” NPCI further explained.
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