A new scam involving Aadhaar card holders in India has prompted individuals to use social media to raise awareness. In this scam, scammers exploit a vulnerability in the Aadhaar-enabled Payment System (AePS) to potentially drain bank accounts to zero. What’s particularly alarming is that this scam bypasses OTP authentication, allowing scammers to access fingerprint data, Aadhaar numbers, and the name of the bank where victims have accounts. Moreover, victims won’t receive SMS notifications when their accounts are debited.
Protecting Your Aadhaar – Safeguarding Against Scams and Biometric Data Theft
Scammers target places like cyber cafes, photocopy shops, and hotels to steal Aadhaar numbers. They then determine the victim’s bank name. To complete the scam, they attempt to acquire fingerprint data, sometimes from land registry offices or other sources that use fingerprints for authentication. This fingerprint data is then used to create artificial silicon thumbs for withdrawing money through AePS.
To protect against this scam, Aadhaar card holders should lock their biometric data. This can be done using the mAadhaar app or the UIDAI website. While AePS is enabled by default for all Aadhaar card holders, it’s crucial for users to disable it for their safety.
How to Safeguard Your Biometric Data and Aadhaar Number with the mAadhaar App
To disable AePS and lock biometric data, download the mAadhaar app on your smartphone (Android/iOS) and use your Aadhaar-linked mobile number to sign up. Verify your Aadhaar details and choose to lock your biometrics using the app. It’s important to note that you can unlock biometrics using the app when needed. Additionally, the app offers an option to lock your Aadhaar number, preventing online services from using your Aadhaar number and OTP.
The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) introduced the Aadhaar-enabled Payment System (AePS) in accordance with guidelines provided by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI). Through AePS, individuals possessing Aadhaar cards can conduct a variety of banking transactions. However, the recent scam has drawn attention to security issues related to the theft of fingerprint data.
To download the mAadhaar app on either an Android or iPhone device, please follow these steps:
- Visit the Google Play Store (for Android) or the App Store (for iPhone) and install the mAadhaar app.
- Grant the required permissions for the app download.
- Once the app is installed, establish a 4-digit password for its use.
To lock biometrics via the mAadhaar app:
- Open the mAadhaar app, log in using your user ID and password.
- Access your profile.
- Tap the menu option in the top right corner.
- Select “Biometric Settings.”
- Enable the “Biometric Lock” option.
- Confirm with an OTP sent to your registered mobile number.
- Once the OTP is entered, your biometric details will be locked.
To unlock biometrics via the mAadhaar app:
- Open the mAadhaar app and go to the menu.
- Select “Biometric Settings” from the drop-down.
- Confirm the temporary unlocking of your biometric details, which will remain unlocked for 10 minutes.
