Aadhaar Card latest update: One small mistake can empty your bank account; check effective ways to protect your Aadhaar data from online fraud and scams

Scammers can take advantage of your smallest mistakes to steal money from your bank account.

Aadhaar is used for nearly every task. There is now an increasing number of scammers using Aadhaar-related fraud to drain individuals’ financial accounts. From bank accounts and PAN cards to mobile numbers, Aadhaar is linked everywhere. In such a scenario, it becomes extremely important to know how to keep your Aadhaar card safe. It is therefore imperative that you understand how to protect your Aadhaar card from fraud.

For the unversed, the Aadhaar Card, the 12-digit unique identification number issued by the Government of India to every citizen, is one of the most important identity-proof documents. Starting from banking operations to online transactions, the Aadhaar card is one of the most essential documents for every official work. The Aadhaar Card contains the demographic and biometric data of the cardholder and is essential for availing government benefits and other official work.

Without an Aadhaar card, an individual will no longer be able to perform essential tasks concerning banking, mobile connections, property documents, and government schemes. As this number is linked to your biometric and demographic data, it is extremely important to keep your Aadhaar safe.

Scammers can take advantage of your smallest mistakes to steal money from your bank account, so if you do not know how to protect your Aadhaar card, please continue reading and we will show you some ways to secure both your Aadhaar and your bank account. You can lock your biometric information (like your fingerprints and iris scans) on the UIDAI website – this service is on the Aadhaar Services page. Once you lock your biometric information, no one can use your Aadhaar for any AePS transactions, which will greatly decrease the chance of you becoming a victim of fraud.

To lock or unlock your Aadhaar account, you can either visit the UIDAI (Unique Identification Authority of India) website or go directly to the “My Aadhar” option of the website to access “Aadhar services”. You will see a link for “Lock / Unlock Aadhar” in this section which allows you to easily lock and unlock your Aadhar account from anywhere at any time.

• Visit the official website of UIDAI at uidai.gov.in.
• On the homepage, go to the ‘My Aadhaar’ category. Now click on the ‘Aadhaar Services’ section.
• Under the Aadhaar Services section, go to the ‘Lock/Unlock Biometrics’ option.
• Enter the Login credentials such as your 12-digit Aadhaar number (UID) and the captcha code and generate OTP.
• You will get the one-time password on your registered mobile number.
• Enter the OTP along with a password of your choice.
• Click the check box beside ‘Enable Biometric Locking’ and then click the ‘enable’ button again. Your Aadhaar card biometrics are now locked.

You may ask yourself, “What are the benefits?” The answers to this question are rather obvious. Once your Aadhaar account is locked, there will be no possibility for anyone to authenticate you using your Aadhaar, which means that none of your information can be misused by anyone else.

Aadhar card details circulating on social media and through unencrypted means have a significant risk of misuse. Each Aadhar Card photograph potentially exposes the user to the risk of fraudulent activity. Aadhar Card details should not be made available on publicly accessible platforms. Masked Aadhaar implies replacing of first 8 digits of the Aadhaar number with  “xxxx-xxxx” while only the last 4 digits of the Aadhaar Number are visible.