NPCI’s Decision to Block UPI on Deactivated Numbers to Prevent Fraud
Steps to Ensure Your UPI Remains Active and Uninterrupted
UPI Service Suspension:
Starting April 1, UPI services will be suspended for certain mobile numbers. After this date, users will no longer be able to send or receive money using these numbers. In today’s digital age, most people prefer online transactions over carrying cash. However, many UPI users may soon find their accounts deactivated.
Why Will UPI Be Blocked?
The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) has taken an important decision:
If a bank account is linked to a mobile number that has been deactivated, the UPI associated with that number will automatically be delinked.
As a result, UPI services on platforms like Google Pay, PhonePe, Paytm, and others will stop working if the registered mobile number is inactive.
Reason Behind This Decision:
The primary reason for this move is to prevent fraud. Cyber fraud cases are on the rise, and this decision aims to enhance security and reduce technical errors in banking systems.
If a mobile number remains inactive for an extended period, banks will remove it from their records, leading to automatic UPI deactivation.
To further enhance security, banks now verify high-value transactions by calling users. If the user does not answer the call, the transaction will not be processed.
UPI services will remain active only if the registered mobile number is in use and correctly linked to the bank account.
Who Will Be Affected?
The following users are at risk of losing UPI access:
Users who have changed their mobile number but have not updated it in their bank records.
Users whose old mobile number has been reassigned to someone else while they are still using it for UPI transactions.
Users who voluntarily deactivated their mobile number but did not inform the bank.
How to Keep Your UPI Active?
To avoid service disruption, follow these steps:
✅ Ensure that the mobile number linked to your bank account is active.
✅ If your registered number is inactive, recharge it or update your new number with the bank.
✅ After updating your number with the bank, reactivate UPI services using the new number.
Recycled Mobile Numbers – A Security Risk
Telecom companies reassign deactivated numbers to new users, which poses a significant security risk for banking services. To prevent misuse, banks are removing accounts linked to old, inactive numbers.
Banks will now update their records weekly, meaning some UPI accounts will be deactivated or reactivated based on the status of their registered mobile number.
📢 Action Required: If your bank-registered mobile number is inactive, update it immediately to avoid losing access to UPI services.
