UIDAI bid to allay bank fraud fears
Nisha Nambiar | TNN | May 25, 2018, 23:50 IST
PUNE: The UIDAI has said citizens need not delay linking Aadhaar with bank accounts while seeking to allay fears that disclosure of the unique number will lead to any financial frauds.
“Just by knowing your Aadhaar number, no one can cause any harm to your bank account...” the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) tweeted. The authorities ruled out any kind of data leak and said no financial transaction can be done even if one is aware about a person’s Aadhaar card number.
The UIDAI said for authentications such as biometric fingerprint, iris scan and a one time password (OTP) are a must for any transaction, without which a financial deal is impossible.
In effect, the UIDAI wants to reach out to a large number of citizens awaiting the final verdict of the Supreme Court hearing a batch of petitions challenging the constitutional validity of the Aadhaar from January. The court has currently reserved its verdict and is expected to pronounce its judgment in July or August.
District officials aware of the process said the citizens need not wait till the final verdict and should link their bank accounts with Aadhaar without any fear.
An official engaged in the Aadhaar enrolment process said knowledge of a person’s 12-digit personal identification number alone is not sufficient to commit a bank fraud against the Aadhaar card holder.
Activists and e-governance expert Anupam Saraph said these assurances by the authority “are as meaningless as a tobacco company’s assurance that smoking will not harm you or the passive smoker”.
The UIDAI has, in the meantime, set up a dedicated Twitter handle to address customers’ queries. Users can reach the Aadhaar Help Centre via Twitter handle “Aadhaar_Care”.
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While the UIDAI is seeking to assure citizens that their bank details are safe even if someone else knows their Aadhaar number, the rising incidences of bank frauds put a question mark on its claim. Besides, the constant reiteration to link one’s bank account with Aadhaar is galling, since the Supreme Court is yet to deliver a final verdict on the issue. UIDAI should hold its horses for now and let citizens take a call on whether to go ahead with the linking or not.
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