How To Lock Aadhaar Biometric Details To Prevent Frauds (Image: Pixabay)
India is witnessing a surge in fraudulent activities, particularly by stealing biometric information from Aadhaar cards. Several instances of Aadhaar data being misused to steal money were reported recently. As all bank accounts are linked to Aadhaar, one way to protect the money is by locking our Aadhaar biometrics data.
According to the Unique Identification Authority of India”s (UIDAI) website, biometric locking or unlocking is a service that permits an Aadhaar holder to lock and temporarily unlock their biometrics. This facility was introduced to strengthen the privacy and confidentiality of a citizen”s biometric data. With this feature, Aadhaar cardholders can protect their biometric information, including fingerprints, iris scans, and facial recognition data. After locking biometrics, if a UID is used for invoking any of the authentication services using biometric data, a specific error code “330” indicating biometrics are locked will be displayed, and the entity will not be able to execute the biometric authentication. Through biometric locking, Aadhaar cardholders can prevent unauthorised access to their bank accounts.
To activate the Aadhaar biometric lock, Aadhaar cardholders have to visit the official UIDAI website. Then, you have to get into “myAadhaar” and then navigate to the “Lock/Unlock Biometrics” option. Then, you will be required to enter your Aadhaar number and OTP for verification. Now, click on “Lock Biometrics”. Apart from the UIDAI website, you can also lock and unlock Aadhaar biometric data through the mAadhaar app, an official mobile application launched by UIDAI. It should be noted that you have to follow the same steps mentioned above to lock the biometric details through mAadhaar app.
By securing Aadhar biometrics data, you can protect your finances from potential Aadhaar Enabled Payment Systems (AEPS) scams. Moreover, it will protect your identity from various fraudulent activities. Experts suggest that Aadhaar biometrics data should be in a locked state unless there is a specific need to utilise them.
