No More UPI ‘Collect Requests’! NPCI’s New Rule to Fight Fraud

UPI Collect Request: In the world of digital transactions, the Unified Payments Interface or UPI has brought a revolutionary change in India. But with its popularity, the risk of fraud has also increased. To reduce this risk, the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) has recently taken a major step. From October 1, 2025, the person-to-person (P2P) UPI ‘collect request’ feature will be discontinued. Let’s get into the details of this change.

Why this change?

The main reason for this decision by NPCI is the increasing financial fraud through the UPI ‘collect request’ feature. Scammers often misused this feature to deceive ordinary people and steal money from their accounts. They would send ‘collect requests’ to customers in the name of sending money, and as soon as the customers mistakenly accepted the request, money would be debited from their accounts. To prevent such incidents, NPCI has decided to discontinue this feature.

What is the ‘collect request’ feature?

‘Collect request’ is a UPI facility through which a user could request money from another user. This feature was very convenient for purposes like splitting bills with friends or asking for borrowed money back. However, due to its misuse, it is now being discontinued.

What will be the impact on customers?

• P2P ‘Collect Request’ Discontinued: General users will no longer be able to send ‘collect requests’ to each other for money.
• Alternative Methods: For money transactions, users will now have to send money directly by scanning a QR code or by using the recipient’s UPI ID or phone number.
• Merchant Payments Unaffected: However, the ‘collect request’ feature will continue to be available for business transactions. This means that while shopping on platforms like Flipkart, Amazon, Swiggy, or IRCTC, they can still send you a ‘collect request’ for payment, which you can approve with your UPI PIN.

What to do to stay safe?

• Be Aware: Before any UPI transaction, verify the recipient’s name and details thoroughly.
• Do Not Share Your PIN: Your UPI PIN is a secret number. Never share it with anyone.
• Avoid Unfamiliar Requests: Do not accept ‘collect requests’ from any unknown or suspicious UPI IDs.

This move by NPCI might cause minor inconvenience for some users, but it is a very important step to make digital transactions more secure. It is expected that this will further increase people’s trust in the UPI platform and significantly reduce incidents of fraud.