What is the Adhaar Card?
Compared to all the other identity cards, in today’s India, the Aadhaar Card has been given a phenomenal importance than the rest. Almost all Indians are in possession of the Aadhaar card. Basically, it is a 12-digit unique identification number that can be obtained by residents of India, based on their biometric and demographic data. Considered a proof of residence and not a proof of citizenship, Aadhaar does not itself grant any rights to domicile in India.
The UIDAI
The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) is a statutory authority that had been established on 12 July 2016 by the government of India; this was to ensure security and provide an identification number to all the Indians.
However, the Aadhaar cards we use have not entirely proved to be safe. A lot of advantage is taken when in authority of an Aadhaar number. But before we move into detail with the misuse of Aadhaar card, let us see the advantages and benefits of it.
Advantages
- If you have an Aadhaar card, you can get the passport in just 10 days.
- The document can be used for KYC, identification and verification purposes.
- Banks consider Aadhaar Cards as valid address and photo ID proofs especially while opening a new account
- Jan Dhan Yojna Scheme accepts your Aadhaar Card Number
- LPG subsidy facility directly in the respective bank accounts when Aadhaar number linked to 17 digit LPG ID
- Digi-locker requires a person to link his/her 12 digit Aadhaar card number for the Digital Locker facility.
- In order to receive the monthly pension, registration of Aadhaar card number has to be done in their departments to receive a monthly pension. This is in order to avoid fraudulent incidents.
- The card is also accepted as a proof of address by Securities and Exchange Board of India for investing in stock market.
- Students receiving scholarships from the government will only get the benefits if the bank account has been linked to the Aadhaar card.
Now despite all the facilities being provided by the Aadhaar card, there are numerous bound problems to it. The main issue aroused when the JIO sim card required an Aadhaar proof with the thumbprint. You are assured by the government that it is safe and your thumbprint cannot be duplicated. Also, it is ensured that your Aadhaar card number is unique from the others.
OR is it so?
According to few reports and complaints, it was known that the same identification was used more than the times of the actual holder. It is shocking to know that there are around 6 sim cards in the market similar to our private Aadhaar details. Many researchers have found out that with your personal information more than 6 to 7 sim cards can be purchased; which is definitely not safe if you aren’t the consumer. It means that your Aadhaar card details can be easily misused without even a notice. When someone else is in the hold of your private details, everything can cause a problem since already your Aadhaar has been linked to different schemes and facilities. Your bank details could be at a risk, while many incidents have been reported. In fact, there could be a possibility of hackers getting the bank details, phone numbers and other policy private information through the hacked Aadhaar number. Did you ever receive calls asking to share your Aadhaar number for bank purposes? If yes then beware, they are all frauds.
The only way to find out whether or not your card has been misused, you need to know the usage history. This will help you figure out the deception.
SOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM
Step 1: Open the Aadhaar website- https://resident.uidai.gov.in/home
Step 2: Click on Aadhaar Authentication History
Step 3: A new window will open and details of the Aadhaar card number and security code has to be filled in.
Step 4: Just below the filled in details click on the green coloured option ‘Generate OTP’
Step 5: You will get an OTP on your mobile number, while a new window will open on the site.
Step 6: On the new window you will need to fill in the details (Authentication type, Select Date Range, Number of records, and the OTP you received on the phone). Then click on Submit.
After the submission, a new window will open with all the details of the past months where ever your Aadhaar card has been used. In this way, you will know if anything went wrong or has been misused. In case of any malpractices found, inform the police immediately.
Thus, now that you know about this, be alert and pass on the word. Do share your comments if you know any other method to protect the Aadhaar number, or you could share a similar incident that has occurred.
