Viral audio clip by PhonePe and KYC expiration message by Paytm is fake!

Social media is flooded with several screenshots, messages and audio claiming to be transaction requests from banks, apps such Google Pay, PhonePe and Paytm. Recently we came across two such viral posts one claiming to be from Paytm which is a KYC expiration message which says that the user’s account will be blocked. The second post is an audio clip where a man claiming to be a PhonePe representative requests the caller on the other end to make a certain transaction to get cashback amount credited to his amount. Fact Crescendo reached out to the respective companies and found the viral posts to be False.

Fact Check-

Paytm Scam: The text on the viral screenshot reads , “Dear Paytm User, Your Paytm account KYC has expired. Call immediately for verification A/c will be blocked within 24Hr. Paytm Office phone- 8356845384”

Fact Crescendo reached out to Paytm via Twitter who replied to us as follows, “Hi, this is not official communication from Paytm. Please be aware of such fake callers/messages. Moreover, thanks for highlighting this to us, we’ll take appropriate action against it.”

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Paytm’s founder Vijay Shekhar Sharma tweeted on November 19^th,2019 cautioning users about fraudsters’ attempts on their accounts. He wrote “Pls don’t trust any SMS send of blocking your Paytm account or suggestion to do a KYC. These are fraudsters attempting on your account. Pls RT.”

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PhonePe Scam: The audio starts with a man introducing himself as a PhonePe representative and asks the receiver to check his PhonePe App to receive cashback. The receivers soon realize that this is a scam call as the process led him to debit money form his account. Further the caller clarifies that he is a scamster who has conned several other people earlier. Fact Crescendo reached out to PhonePe on Twitter who clarified , “We do not call or message anyone regarding such offers. Please be aware of such fake callers. Rest assured, we’re trying our best to curb such instances in the future.”

Conclusion- Fact Crescendo found the above-mentioned posts to be False. The viral audio and text message from Paytm on social media is a fake one. We request you to be cautious of such messages and callers and do not share any personal details with them without a proper verification.