Adhar related frauds through cyber crime are rampant in India

 

Complaints of fraud and cheating are piling up at the police stations rapidly in India .  

 The world is now very much dependent on technology.  Digital India is a one-thread barrier starting from our identity cards to our entire lives.  The government has already forced to add all information including voter card, PAN card with Aadhaar card.  As a result, Aadhaar is now the lifeblood of individuals which is no longer protected once its details  falls into the hands of hackers.  In one click they can get all the information of ones life, from bank, home to all personal information.  And cyber criminals are taking that opportunity.  Aadhaar card is the new medium of fraud.

 Recently, Aadhaar Enabled Payment System (AePS) has been launched in the country.   This is a special benefit available through Aadhaar card.  APS service was launched by the central government to provide easy financial services to the customers.  Any type of financial transaction is possible through this AePS, again without any ATM counter.  OTP is not required.  Funds can be transferred from any bank account using Aadhaar authentication through fingerprint only through this AePS.

It facilitates depositing and withdrawing money, sending money from one account to another account and tracking the amount deposited in the account.  The service was launched by National Payments Corporation or NPCI.  And that has become the new weapon of fraudsters.  At least 37 Aadhaar frauds have been reported from Kolkata so far.  Especially AePS cheats are more among them.  Police suspect that a special cyber gang is operating in South Kolkata.  Police fear that they are behind each of these incidents.  About three to four such complaints are submitted to the police every week.

 Not only in this state, the number of Aadhaar frauds has increased across the country.  Recently, 20 thousand rupees disappeared from the bank of a woman in Karnataka.  It is known that the theft actually happened through the Aadhaar Enabled Payment System or AePS.  According to Union Home Ministry sources, mainly 6 states and one union territory are currently targeted by cyber criminals.  Allegations of theft and fraud of biometric information are repeatedly raised from those places.  Apart from West Bengal, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana are also in the list.  Besides, there have been several such cyber fraud allegations from Delhi as well.

 How does this cycle work?  Initially, common people are being made to believe it.  When the OTP is not being asked for, it cannot be fraudulent in any way.  As the Aadhaar number and biometrics are the biggest credentials for Aadhaar, AePS does not bypass alerts like OTP, SMS or email at all.  And that is what the hackers are using as a fraud tool.

 But how are cybercriminals collecting human fingerprints?  Suppose you need money, but you don't have an ATM.  Or you need a SIM card.

 For that you need to go somewhere where you can do all those things with fingerprint.  And that opportunity is being used by some dishonest people.  Your fingerprints are being trafficked to various cyber crime rings.  Who is authorizing the transaction clearance on behalf of the bank as the representative of the bank.  As a result your money is going to the unscrupulous cycle without your OTP or permission.  This evil can be cured from anywhere.  You will be surprised to hear that fingerprints are being leaked from all those places where land and house registry offices are located.

  Many have complained that government land registry offices are becoming pigeon nests.

 Anyone who has ever worked as a house registry will know how each of ones fingerprints is recorded in these office records.  If that record was ever reached by a rogue gang, it would be fatal.  Naturally, cyber experts frowned at the rise of this fraud cycle across the city.  The pressure has also increased on the police.  But how to save from this cheating cycle.  The cyber experts themselves are giving his whereabouts.  Their advice is to use a biometric lock.

For that first one need to go to google playstore or apple store and download the app called mAadhaar.  Entering that app will take you to Biometric Authentication option.  And from there you can lock your biometrics.  You can open it again if you need it for future registry related or other work.  Lock it again when the job is done.  In case of credit card, debit card, international transactions can be closed if you want.  In this case too, if Aadhaar is locked, there is a chance to escape from the misuse of biometrics to some extent.