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presents Paisa PalsPaisa Pals · Book 5
A stranger in Kabir's game offers FREE diamonds. Someone calls Ajji pretending to be the bank. A buyer asks Joel to scan a QR code to 'receive' money. Join Srestha Didi and the Paisa Pals as they start the Secret Code Club and learn six rules to keep digital money safe!
Amma paid with her phone! No notes, no coins! TING! Payment received. Got it! Thank you, Amma! Did the money fly through the air? It went from my bank account to his in seconds. It's called UPI. How does the phone know it's really you? I type my secret UPI PIN. Only I know it. Digital money is super handy. But it has secret codes we must protect! Secret codes? Like spies?!
Your bank account is like a treasure vault. Secret codes are its keys. Key one is your PIN, like your UPI PIN or ATM PIN. You remember it and tell nobody. Key two is an OTP. The bank sends it by SMS, and it works only once. OTP means One-Time Password! Golden rule: never share your PIN or OTP with ANYONE. Not even someone who says they're from the bank. Not even Sau? Not even me!
That evening, at Siddu's house… Let's start a club to keep our families safe! We'll call it… the Secret Code Club! YES! Rule 1: Secret codes stay secret. But how do tricksters try to steal codes? Let's be detectives and find out! Here's our club badge! Can it have a mango on it?
Next day, a stranger in the game chat: "Hi friend! Want 1,000 FREE diamonds?" WOW! Yes, please! Stranger: "Just send me the code that comes on your phone!" A code just came on Amma's phone… STOP, Kabir! That code is an OTP! With that OTP, a stranger could take money from Amma's account! But he said FREE diamonds… Amma! A stranger in my game asked for your OTP. I didn't send it! You did exactly right by telling me!
I'm blocking and reporting that player right now. Real gifts never need your OTP. If someone asks for a code, it's a trick. Tricksters use three tools: HURRY, FEAR and GREED. "Only 2 minutes left!" "Your account will be blocked!" "You won a prize!" All tricks! Rule 2: Hurry, fear or a free prize? STOP and tell a grown-up. Got it!
Phone voice: "Madam, I'm from your bank. Your account will be blocked today!" Phone voice: "Tell me the OTP to stop it. Hurry!" Oh dear, a code just came… Ajji, WAIT! Banks NEVER ask for your OTP or PIN on the phone! You're right. I'm cutting the call. Well done, both of you! If you're ever worried, call the number on your bank card or passbook, or visit the bank. I'll visit tomorrow.
Someone called pretending to be this bank! I'm so glad you didn't share the OTP. Our bank will NEVER ask for your PIN, OTP, password or card details. Not by call, SMS or chat. What if the caller says it's very urgent? Hurry is a trickster's tool. A real bank gives you time. Never install an app a stranger asks for. Some apps let them see and control your phone. A spy inside the phone! If money is ever taken wrongly, tell your bank and call 1930 at once. 1930. I'll remember!
Papa's helping me sell my old bat online. A buyer just messaged! Buyer: "Scan my QR code and enter your PIN to RECEIVE ₹500." Easy! I'll scan it… Wait! Do we need a PIN to RECEIVE money? When Mahendra Bhai receives money, he just hears TING! To receive money, you NEVER scan a code or enter a PIN. PIN means money goes OUT! So scanning his code would have SENT him money! Rule 3: PIN only for paying!
Message: "Congratulations! You won a new phone! Click this link to claim it." Amma, you won a phone! But I never entered any contest. How can I win? Fake links open pages that look real and steal your codes. Some even put bad apps on your phone. It's like fishing! The prize is the bait, and we're the fish! I'm NOT a fish! That's why it's called phishing! Rule 4: Don't click links or install apps strangers send.
Message: "Hi, it's your cousin. New number! Emergency! Please send ₹5,000 now." Amma, it says HURRY. And it's a new number. Two warning signs! I called my cousin on her old number. She's fine and never sent that! Tricksters can pretend to be friends or family. Always check by calling the real person. Rule 5: Check before you pay! Like the third umpire checking the replay!
Just 99 coins for a super car skin! Tap! Kabir! Those coins are bought with REAL rupees from Amma's account! Oops. It looked like play money. Now every purchase needs my approval. Always ask before buying anything in a game. Online money is still real money. Rule 6: Ask before you tap Buy!
Didi, what about passwords for games and apps? Make them long and hard to guess. Mine is kabir123! Kabir! Never say your password out loud. And CHANGE it! A strong password mixes words, numbers and symbols. A grown-up can help you make one. And don't use the same password everywhere, right? Right! One key for each lock. And keep personal things private too: your address, school and photos. And my secret mango stash!
Yesterday a man showed me a 'payment done' screen on his phone. But no money came! A fake screenshot! Now I always wait for my TING, or check my bank app. Smart, Mahendra Bhai! Always check that the money really arrived. Didi, what if someone has already been tricked? Never hide it or feel scared. Tell a grown-up at once. Grown-ups should call the bank and 1930 quickly. The sooner, the better. Fast, like a bouncer!
Welcome to the Secret Code Club family meeting! Ajja, does the bank ever ask for your OTP? NEVER! Appa, do you need a PIN to receive money? Never! PIN is only for paying. And if someone says HURRY? STOP and check! The whole family is in the club now! Even the grandparents!
Rule 1: Secret codes, PIN and OTP, stay secret. Rule 2: Hurry, fear or a free prize? STOP and tell a grown-up. Rule 3: You never need a PIN to RECEIVE money. Rule 4: Don't click links or install apps strangers send. Rule 5: Check before you pay. Rule 6: Ask before you tap Buy!
We are the Secret Code Club! Thanks for keeping me safe, Paisa Pals! Hey, a message says I won FREE mangoes! KABIR! Just kidding! Deleted already! Squeak! Nobody gets my cheese PIN! See you in Book 6, Paisa Pals! And remember: secret codes stay secret!
Answers: 1-b 2-c 3-a 4-b 5-b 6-c
Draw a line from each tricky situation to the right thing to do.
| Tricky situation | What to do |
|---|---|
| A game stranger asks for the code on your phone | Trick! A PIN is only for paying. |
| A caller says, "I'm from your bank, tell me your OTP" | Don't click. Delete it and tell a grown-up. |
| "Scan this QR code to receive money" | Call the real person to check. |
| "You won a prize! Click this link" | Don't share. Tell a grown-up. |
| "It's your cousin, new number, send money now!" | Cut the call. Banks never ask. |
What UPI, PINs and OTPs are, why they must never be shared, how scammers use hurry, fear and greed, and how to spot common tricks: fake bank calls, strangers in online games, 'scan to receive money' QR codes, prize links, family-impersonation messages, fake payment screenshots and in-game purchases.
Paisa Pals is created by Srinivas Kambhampati, AMFI-registered Mutual Fund Distributor (ARN-265474, EUIN E091320), working under the brand Rytvae Consulting. This book is for financial awareness only. It does not recommend any bank, product, investment or scheme. More free comics: rytvae.com (Kids' Corner).
What’s next?
ComicBook 1
Why do we need banks?
Saving money in a shoebox — what could go wrong? Plenty! Join Srestha and her friends as they find out how banks began, how they keep our money safe, what happens to the money we deposit, and why every family needs a bank.
ComicBook 2
Why Do Prices Rise?
Why does Kabir's favourite chocolate cost more than last year? Join Srestha Didi and the Paisa Pals as they turn into price detectives, follow three big clues, and find out why prices rise and what families can do about it.
ComicBook 3
Needs, Wants and Making a Budget
Kabir NEEDS a remote-control car. Or does he just WANT it? Join Srestha Didi and the Paisa Pals as they find out where pocket money disappears, try the three-jar plan, and become budget superheroes!
