CHENNAI: The Cyber Crime Wing of the Tamil Nadu police has warned citizens of a new and sophisticated scam – the ‘jumped’ deposit scam, a clever tactic designed to trick users into unknowingly approving fraudulent withdrawals.

Officers revealed that fraudsters mainly target UPI users. In the deposit scam, the scammer sends a real deposit to your account, usually a modest amount of Rs 5,000, to trigger an official alert and make the transaction appear legitimate. Immediately after making this deposit, he initiates a withdrawal request from your account using their details. You want to check your balance and enter your PIN or security code, unknowingly authorising the withdrawal request, and the scammer withdraws more funds from your account, an official release stated. The scammer exploits your curiosity about the unexpected deposit.

"When you receive an unexpected deposit, wait at least 15-30 minutes to check your balance, as this allows any unauthorised withdrawal request to expire,” police said.