Amid rising instances of digital fraud, keeping your Aadhaar details safe is very important. Aadhaar is a unique number allotted to each Indian citizen and is used as identification proof for various purposes. This 12-digit number is used for opening bank accounts, getting access to government schemes, getting phone and gas connection, filing income tax returns, among others. Many a times, the mobile number linked to one’s Aadhaar is used for authenticating transactions. In addition to this, the Aadhaar Enabled Payment System (AePS) uses Aadhaar numbers, biometrics (fingerprint, iris, face authentication), and OTP to facilitate the transaction.

Frauds Using Aadhaar Number

Around 29,000 AePS frauds have been reported on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal by July 31, 2024, according to a notification by the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, in July 2024.

However, these frauds are not limited to just AePS payments. There could also be a misuse of Aadhaar details submitted physically or digitally for any purpose.

Where the details are stored on an unsecured platform or network, they can be hacked into by fraudsters. Not only this, past incidents show scammers using biometric cloning to steal money from bank accounts as well as commit other crimes.

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Biometrics, which is considered the safest mode to authenticate transactions or access confidential information, has been cloned in different incidents to perpetrate fraud.

According to the Axis Bank website, fraudsters clone biometric information and create a silicon fingerprint replica to commit crimes. For instance, cloning a fingerprint from land records, physical documents, or through unauthorised access to Aadhaar details, has been used in various incidents.

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What Is Biometric Locking, And How Does It Protect Aadhaar-Holders' Identity?

To deal with biometric information theft, the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has devised a ‘Biometric Locking’ system. In this, an Aadhaar holder can lock biometric details and unlock it temporarily whenever needed. It is to add security to biometric information from theft and strengthen the privacy of Aadhaar holders.

“Locked biometrics confirm that the Aadhaar holder will not be able to use biometric information (Fingerprints/Iris/Face) for authentication. It is a safety feature to stop any kind of biometric authentication. It also ensures that any entity by any means cannot perform biometric-based Aadhaar authentication for that Aadhaar holder”, reads UIDAI website.

How To Lock And Unlock Aadhaar Biometrics

Lock: To lock the Aadhaar biometric information, you need to have a registered mobile number linked to your Aadhaar number. You can lock your biometric details through the Myaadhaar portal of UIDAI. For this, you will need to create a virtual Aadhaar ID on the Myaadhaar portal. Then, click on the ‘Lock

Aadhaar’ tab on the portal, fill in personal information, and authenticate with the OTP. Your details will be safely locked.

You can also lock them through the mobile app ‘mAadhaar app’ from the Play Store or the App Store or by sending an SMS ‘GET OTP XXXX' (last 4 digits of Aadhaar number) to 1947.

After the biometric details are locked, authentication will not be possible and the user will get an error ‘303’. Until the details are unlocked or disabled by the Aadhaar holder, no one can use biometric information even if they have it.

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Unlock: An Aadhaar holder can unlock the biometric information to perform authentication or for any other purpose. Note that unlocking is temporary and gets locked again automatically. Biometric unlocking can be done through the online portal, mobile app, SMS, enrolment centre, and Aadhaar Seva Kendra (ASK).

Keep in mind that Aadhaar details contain personal information and are widely accepted as proof of identity. So, be careful while sharing the details, and use safety measures to keep the data from being misused. To protect your information, avoid sharing Aadhaar details on social media and refrain from storing biometric data on unsecured devices.