WhatsApp to display legal name of users for every WhatsApp Pay transaction

WhatsApp has informed its users that it will start displaying the legal name for every transaction made via WhatsApp Pay to curb fraud. WhatsApp says a user’s legal name means that person’s name registered with the bank. It will be displayed to the person who receives money through WhatsApp Payments.

“WhatsApp uses the phone number associated with your account to identify your bank account through UPI. The name associated with your bank account is the name that will be shared,” the company said in an FAQ.

WhatsApp Pay is an in-chat payment feature allowing users to send and receive money to their contact list. It is based on a Unified Payments Interface (UPI) platform approved by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI).

As of now, WhatsApp allows users to pick any name for their profile – it may be nick name or just emojis next to their name on the messaging app. Even though the app is not asking users to change their profile name, a person’s legal name will be visible as per their bank accounts every time a financial transaction is made using the payments feature.

“When you use payments on WhatsApp, other UPI users will be able to view your legal name. This is the same name as your bank account,” the FAQ page reads.

According to messaging app, the requirement is set by NPCI, which aims to mitigate fraud across the UPI payments system.

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