Aadhaar card holders across India are taking to social media to warn citizens about a new type of scam where fraudsters can drain your bank account using a loophole in the new Aadhaar-enabled Payment System (AePS). There is no option for OTP authentication in this scam and the scammer can steal money from your bank account simply by gaining access to your fingerprint information, knowing your Aadhaar number and the name of the bank where you have an account. To make matters worse, you don’t even get a text message notification when your account is charged.

Internet cafes, copy shops, hotels etc. are the best places where Aadhaar numbers can be stolen and then the fraudsters usually stalk the victims to find out the name of the bank. Now the final piece of the AePS puzzle is the fingerprint pattern. This is where scammers get creative and try to get fingerprint information from real estate agencies or other sources where fingerprints are used to authenticate services. This fingerprint data is then printed on artificial silicon fishes, which are used to withdraw money using AePS.

To stay safe from this scam, it is important for Aadhaar card holders to lock their biometrics either using the mAadhaar app or the UIDAI website. Since AePS is enabled by default for all Aadhaar card holders and biometrics unlock is also enabled by default, it is important for users to note and disable it to stay safe.

You can disable AePS and lock your Aadhaar biometrics by downloading the mAadhaar app on your smartphone (Android/iOS) and logging in using your Aadhaar-linked mobile number. Verify your Aadhaar details and lock your biometrics using the app. Note that you can use the app to unlock biometrics whenever you need. The app also has an option to lock your Aadhaar number. This prevents users from registering for services online using their Aadhaar number and OTP.

The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) recently introduced the Aadhaar Compatible Payment System (AePS) as per the guidelines of RBI and UIDAI. With this system, Aadhaar card holders can deposit cash, withdraw cash, know balance, get mini statement, do Aadhaar to Aadhaar fund transfer, authenticate transactions and pay BHIM with Aadhaar by simply providing three things – bank name, Aadhaar number and biometric authentication. Aadhaar Enabled Payment System (AePS) was introduced to facilitate microATM transactions of up to Rs 10,000. With AePS, you can withdraw up to 50,000 rupees per day. Although NPCI’s initiative seems groundbreaking, hardly anyone guessed that fingerprint data can also be stolen from different sources and index fingers can be used to copy real fingerprints.

How to Download mAadhaar App on Android Smartphone or iPhone?

Follow the simple steps to download the mAadhaar app:

1. Open Google Play Store on your mobile and install the mAadhaar app. Use the App Store on your iPhone.
2. Allow required permission to download mAadhaar application
3. Once mAadhaar is installed on your phone, set the app password

Note that the password must consist of 4 numbers (all numbers).

Locking biometrics through mAadhaar app:

1. Open the mAadhaar app and log in with your username and password
2. Click on the profile
3. Tap on the Menu option placed at the top right corner of the app
4. Click on “Biometric Settings”
5. Tick the “Enable biometric lock” option
6. Step 7: Tap ‘OK’ and the OTP will be sent to the mobile number registered in aadhar
7. As soon as the OTP is entered, the biometrics will be locked immediately.

How to unlock biometrics through mAadhaar app

1. Open the mAadhaar app and tap on the menu
2. Click on “Biometric Settings” from the drop-down menu
3. Step 3: A message will flash on your phone screens that says “Biometrics will be unlocked temporarily”.
4. Tap ‘Yes’ and your biometrics will be unlocked for 10 minutes.