Discover How to Keep Your Phone Number Private When Using Paytm UPI

Gone are the days when sharing seemingly innocent information about yourself was considered safe without any concern. In today’s world, where cybercrime is increasing, it is crucial to prioritize the privacy of your data and only share it with trusted individuals. While people are generally cautious about their financial data, passwords, and other sensitive information, there is one piece of data that is readily available every time you make a UPI payment – your phone number. For most individuals, their UPI ID is their phone number, meaning that anyone, including random shopkeepers, whom you have made a payment to, could potentially have access to your phone number. If this concerns you, there is no need to worry, as you can change your UPI address on Paytm and ensure that it remains hidden from others. You can find more information about this feature by checking out this trick.

Hiding Phone Number in Paytm

It is worth mentioning that changing Virtual Private Address (VPA) is possible on any UPI platform. In this article we will only cover the process of changing it in Paytm. Before that you should know what VPA is and what role it plays in UPI transactions.

According to Paytm, a VPA is a “payment address to which users can make UPI money transfers”. So basically VPA is a link between your bank account and your UPI platform. If money is not transferred to your VPA, it will not appear in your account either. So, whenever you receive or send money through UPI, the sender or recipient will see your VPA to ensure that the money is going or coming.

But even if it is your phone number, it can be changed easily. All you have to do is find the setting and change it, and after that no one who sends you money will see your phone number.

If you’re wondering why you shouldn’t use your phone number for VPA, the reason is simply that your phone number associated with VPA is also the bank’s registered number. In the hands of cybercriminals, they can hack into your phone to get your financial information or even run phishing scams.

So, how can you change your VPA? Check below.

Changing VPA to hide your number in Paytm

1. Open the Paytm app.

2. Go to the menu. This is in the upper left corner where your initials appear.

3. Scroll down to UPI and payment settings.

4. First option should be UPI ID. Tap the edit icon on the far right.

5. In the next window, tap on ‘Add New UPI ID’.

6. You will be shown several options that include a combination of your phone number, account number and name. Select the most randomized and click Continue.

That’s it. You have now successfully changed your VPA. You can follow similar steps on Google Pay, PhonePe, BHIM and other UPI platforms as well.