Digital payments have become very popular with the growing concern around the spread of COVID19 and social distancing. People have switched to various modes of e payments to avoid having any physical contact while buying essentials. Though digital payments are a safer approach, however, it does give way to a higher number of frauds and scams.

Paytm has been aware of the risks and has taken steps to make sure the users do not fall prey to any frauds related to digital payments. Its user SMS interface has implemented some changes that work towards the same purpose.

Vijay Shekhar Sharma, the founder of Paytm, replied to a tweet and explained why the company has deliberately designed Paytm’s  OTP messages in a way that might seem a little inconvenient.

While using the app, many of you might have noticed that the 6 digit OTP is displayed at the end of the SMS after the warning.

Instahyre Founder Aditya Rajgarhia took to Twitter and expressed his displeasure with this feature of Paytm and jokingly said that he is surprised that no one there has taken notice of the ‘problem’. The reply he got was both unexpected and self-explanatory.

Vijay Shekhar, while replying to Aditya Rajgarhia’s tweet, revealed that this was a deliberate effort to discourage fraudulent activities. He said, “We figured that whenever fraudsters call a gullible customer, it is very easy for them to share OTP. We put it at the end of the warning message so that (customers) don’t share OTP.”

This OTP sharing at end of message is deliberate. We figured that whenever fraudsters call a gullible customers, it is very easy for them to share OTP.
Just so that they don’t share OTP, we put it at end of warning message.
Guess what, we saw reduction in OTP sharing 😎 https://t.co/YrEZ6N4OVP

— Vijay Shekhar Sharma (@vijayshekhar) May 26, 2020

Vijay Shekhar further mentioned that after having implemented this feature, Paytm saw a reduction in OTP-sharing.

I am surprised that someone in @Bloomberg did not face this problem yet and solved it.
To sign in, in browser is not an easy thing. Why not simply move it on top? pic.twitter.com/TtQWQyKLEN

— Vijay Shekhar Sharma (@vijayshekhar) May 26, 2020

With a rise in the use of e-payments, it becomes the responsibility of these digital payment platforms to ensure safety and security to its users. While many companies have been taking the necessary steps to make sure the user experience is improved, the user themselves need to be more vigilant while using these apps themselves.