Don’t want to show your phone number when you transact on Paytm? Know this UPI trick

If you want to keep your phone number private when you make UPI transactions on Paytm, then you need to know this trick that allows you to change your VPA.

This Paytm trick will help you not share your phone number while you make UPI payments. (REUTERS)

Gone are the days when it was considered safe to share seemingly innocent information about you without giving it a second thought. Today, with cybercrime on the rise, it is important to keep your data private and only with those you trust. While people are mostly careful around their financial data, passwords, and other sensitive information, one piece of data that is freely available every time you make a UPI (Unified Payments Interface) payment is your phone number. For most people, our UPI ID is our phone number, so anyone, including random shopkeepers, to whom you have made a payment, would probably have access to your phone number. If that bothers you, then do not worry, as you can change your UPI address on Paytm and make it so it is hidden from others. Check this trick.

Hiding phone number on Paytm

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

According to Paytm, VPA is “the payment address on which users can make UPI money transfers”. So, in essence, your VPA is the connection between your bank account and your UPI platform. If the money is not transferred to your VPA, it will also not reflect on your account. So, whenever you receive or send money via UPI, the sender or the receiver will see your VPA to confirm that is where the money is going or coming from.

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 afterwards, anyone sending you your money is not going to see your phone number.

If you're wondering why you should not be using your phone number for VPA, the reason is simply that your phone number attached to VPA is also the registered number with the bank. In the hands of cybercriminals, they can hack into your phone to get your financial details, or even pull off phishing scams.

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

Changing VPA to hide your number on Paytm

1. Open the Paytm app.

2. Go to menu. This is on the top left, where the initials of your name are shown.

3. Scroll down to UPI & Payment Settings.

4. The first option should be UPI ID. Tap on the edit icon on the extreme right.

5. In the next window, tap on ‘Add new UPI ID'.

6. You will be shown multiple options involving a combination of your phone number, account number, and name. Pick the one that is the most randomized and click on Proceed.

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.