Beware of Fake PM CARES Fund UPI IDs

Story:

Alert! Fake UPI IDs seeking donations towards PM-CARES Fund

Other Versions

Donation Scams Amid Coronavirus Crisis – Beware of Fake PM CARES Fund UPI SBI IDs

Facts Analysis:

After the COVID-19 pandemic in India, a public charitable trust Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations (PM-CARES) Fund was set up on 28th March 2020. The primary objective of the dedicated national fund is to deal with any kind of emergency or distress situation, like posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, and to provide relief to the affected. While the PM CARES Fund garnered good response in terms of donations, some fraudsters also came up with false UPI IDs to mislead people and steal the donations.

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Fake PM CARES UPI IDs

While the actual UPI ID to donate to PM CARES Fund is pmcares@sbi, fraudsters began creating fake, albeit seemingly authentic, links to trick people and steal money from them in the name of donation. Below is a list of some fake SBI UPI IDs among others.

pmcarefund@sbi
pm.care@sbi
pmcare@sbi
pncare@sbi
pncares@sbi
pmcaree@sbi
pmcaress@sbi

On 30th March 2020, State Bank of India alerted people about the fake UPI IDs in the guise of PM CARES Fund. In tough times of COVID-19, fraudsters are scamming people in the most devious ways, SBI explained. Likewise, it advised people to make sure monetary donation to fight against the global pandemic is going into the right hands.

Beware of the fake UPI IDs that are making the rounds in the guise of Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance & Relief in Emergency Situations a.k.a. PM Cares. Make sure your monetary donation to fight against the global pandemic is going into the right hands. @PMOIndia #PMCaresFund pic.twitter.com/3QcFeSbML0
— State Bank of India (@TheOfficialSBI) March 30, 2020

Fake IDs Using Other Indian Bank Accounts

Note, similar fake IDs have been created on UPI handles of other Indian banks also including PNB, HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank and Yes Bank. Cyber security watchdog CERT-In alerted people about the fake UPI IDs similar to that of PM-CARES Fund, appealing to all to check the authenticity of the original ID before donating. Below is a list of some of those fake UPI IDs using other Indian bank accounts.

pmcares@pnb
pmcares@hdfcbank
pmcare@yesbank
pmcare@ybl
pmcare@upi
pmcare@icici

Again, the right SBI UPI ID for PM Cares fund is pmcares@sbi. The issue about fake UPI IDs came to light on 29th March 2020, when a citizen alerted officials about getting a fake UPI ID pmcare@sbi. Subsequently, the fake ID was blocked and Delhi Police initiated legal action.

Please note, the correct UPI ID of PM CARES Fund is pmcares@sbi

Thanks to alert citizen @bishwesh0604 for getting a fake UPI ID pmcare@sbi blocked. Legal action has been initiated.@PMOIndia @HMOIndia @LtGovDelhi @DelhiPolice https://t.co/HmL3fWhuet pic.twitter.com/SaQczWOwUm
— DCP Cybercrime (@DCP_CCC_Delhi) March 29, 2020

Government of India also warned donors against fake UPI IDs doing the rounds on the various social media platforms. On the other hand, citizens and organizations can go to the website pmindia.gov.in and donate to PM CARES Fund using the following details:

Name of the Account: PM CARES
Account Number: 2121PM20202
IFSC Code: SBIN0000691
SWIFT Code: SBININBB104
Name of Bank and Branch: State Bank of India, New Delhi Main Branch
UPI ID: pmcares@sbi

Other modes of payments available on the website include debit cards and credit cards, and internet banking among others. Donations to this fund are in fact exempted from Income Tax under Section 80(G).