Srinagar, April 29 -- It usually begins with a small, believable moment. A customer says, "Sir, I've paid," and shows a green "Success" screen. A buyer on an online marketplace says, "I'm sending an advance-please scan this QR." Or a caller claims to be "customer care" and offers to "fix" your UPI issue in two minutes.

In many Indian homes and marketplaces, these moments feel routine because UPI has become routine. That is exactly why frauds are rising in sophistication: criminals do not attack the technology first; they attack human habits-our speed, our trust, and our desire to resolve a problem quickly. The Reserve Bank of India has repeatedly warned that fraudsters often use familiar tactics-pressuring users to share sensitive inform...