How to lock your Aadhaar biometric details: Tips to avoid identity theft and AEPS scam

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Imagine this: You haven’t used your bank account for days, yet your money vanishes. No debit card swipes, no UPI transfer—just a cash withdrawal through an Aadhaar-enabled payment system (AEPS). That’s exactly what happened to residents in parts of Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, and Maharashtra, where several people lost money because their Aadhaar biometrics were misused.

In many of these cases, victims had no idea their fingerprints were copied or misused. The AEPS allows transactions using just an Aadhaar number and biometric authentication—making it a prime target for scammers.

To prevent misuse, the UIDAI lets you lock your biometric information online. This disables the use of your fingerprint and iris scan for any Aadhaar-based authentication. You can still use OTP-based verification for services like eKYC. To do this, visit the UIDAI website (uidai.gov.in) and go to the ‘My Aadhaar’ section on the homepage. Click on “Lock/Unlock Biometrics” and enter your 12-digit Aadhaar number. This will send an automatic OTP to your registered mobile number. Enter the OTP and you will now be logged in. Once logged in, click “Enable Biometric Locking”. That’s it.

The system lets you unlock temporarily if you're visiting a bank or need to complete KYC for a telecom connection.

The reason this feature matters is simple: most AEPS scams involve stolen or cloned fingerprints. In some villages, officials found silicon-based fingerprint moulds used for fraudulent withdrawals. Locking biometrics ensures that even if your Aadhaar number is leaked, it can’t be used for any transaction requiring biometric verification.

This is especially important for senior citizens and low-income account holders, where bank balances may be small but vital for survival.

Check your Aadhaar authentication history regularly. Log in at UIDAI and view recent authentication requests to make sure none are unfamiliar. Always shred photocopies of Aadhaar cards. Avoid sharing Aadhaar numbers on WhatsApp, and never hand over your card casually at photocopy shops.

Yes. Subsidies and most government services rely on OTP or account linking—not biometric authentication.

Yes. You can use the mAadhaar app to lock and unlock your biometrics anytime.

No, but if they try to verify you through fingerprint or iris scan and it fails, they’ll likely ask you to unlock and try again.