In response to our article – My ordeal with Aadhaar fingerprint fraud & how I got my money back – we received the following email from a reader who wants to share this with the community for awareness and the difficulty involved in investigating this Aadhaar-based fraud.
Are you a victim of similar fraud? What did you do? Share your story with the freefincal community and promote awareness. All stories will be published anonymously. Send your story to letters [AT] freefincal.com or freefincal [AT] gmail.com. This is the archive of such reader experiences.
My expanded name is Ka****ya Ra***har Sh****ram, but being a South Indian, my name as per school, college, and all other Govt records are abbreviated and spelt as K R Sh****ram.
I was earlier residing with my father at his home address, but after building my own home, I shifted to the new address. My AADHAAR was issued in 2012, bearing my new address with my photo and my name as the son of my father’s name. The card was delivered to my new address. The QR code reveals these details. I have locked my biometrics.
Surprisingly, in late 2023, I was informed by the caretaker of my late father’s home that my AADHAAR card had been received by post and handed over to me. An Indian resident can have only one AADHAAR. The card received was a fake. It was in the name K R Sh****ram, care of my father’s name and his address (my old address), but the photo was different. The QR code was unreadable. The phone number was different, and the card bore an issue date of 2015. No stranger came to collect this card. I checked the UIDAI website and found that the card has been verified and registered.
Join 32,000+ readers and get free money management solutions delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to get posts via email! (Link takes you to our email sign-up form)
🔥Enjoy massive discounts on our robo-advisory tool & courses! 🔥
Two other family members (former residents at my late father’s home and now moved out) also received similar fake AADHAAR cards. I suspect the fake cards will likely be used for property crimes.
I have both my genuine and fake AADHAAR cards in my possession. I mailed a complaint to UIDAI, attaching copies of both cards and requesting cancellation of the fake card, as it could be misused. I pointed out that it was a crime on UIDAI and me. Indian Govt cancels fake passports with punishment on identification, so I offered to meet the service centre UIDAI officer and present both cards for action.
The ticket was closed, stating that I needed to contact Law Enforcement. In short, UIDAI washed its hands off. Getting the police to investigate this is a challenge, and even if they agree, it will not be easy. How can we protect ourselves from such fraud?
Hopefully, UIDAI will mull over it, accept that it is a crime against the system, and act to prevent it. UIDAI should insist that applicants state the father’s name with proof, and the AADHAAR card must include this on the card, particularly if it is a care-of address.
Read more from the archive:
- How I became a victim of identity theft and loan fraud
- How I struggled to change mutual fund unitholder status after a death in the family
- How Ashal & Banking Ombudsman helped get my money back from a failed credit card payment
🔥Enjoy massive discounts on our courses, robo-advisory tool and exclusive investor circle! 🔥& join our community of 7000+ users!
Use our Robo-advisory Tool for a start-to-finish financial plan! ⇐ More than 2,500 investors and advisors use this!
Track your mutual funds and stock investments with this Google Sheet!
We also publish monthly equity mutual funds, debt and hybrid mutual funds, index funds and ETF screeners and momentum, low-volatility stock screeners.
- Do you have a comment about the above article? Reach out to us on Twitter: @freefincal or @pattufreefincal
- Have a question? Subscribe to our newsletter using the form below.
- Hit 'reply' to any email from us! We do not offer personalized investment advice. We can write a detailed article without mentioning your name if you have a generic question.
Join 32,000+ readers and get free money management solutions delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to get posts via email! (Link takes you to our email sign-up form)
About The Author
Dr M. Pattabiraman(PhD) is the founder, managing editor and primary author of freefincal. He is an associate professor at the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras. He has over ten years of experience publishing news analysis, research and financial product development. Connect with him via Twitter(X), Linkedin, or YouTube. Pattabiraman has co-authored three print books: (1) You can be rich too with goal-based investing (CNBC TV18) for DIY investors. (2) Gamechanger for young earners. (3) Chinchu Gets a Superpower! for kids. He has also written seven other free e-books on various money management topics. He is a patron and co-founder of “Fee-only India,” an organisation promoting unbiased, commission-free investment advice.Our flagship course! Learn to manage your portfolio like a pro to achieve your goals regardless of market conditions! ⇐ More than 3,000 investors and advisors are part of our exclusive community! Get clarity on how to plan for your goals and achieve the necessary corpus no matter the market condition is!! Watch the first lecture for free! One-time payment! No recurring fees! Life-long access to videos! Reduce fear, uncertainty and doubt while investing! Learn how to plan for your goals before and after retirement with confidence.
Our new course! Increase your income by getting people to pay for your skills! ⇐ More than 700 salaried employees, entrepreneurs and financial advisors are part of our exclusive community! Learn how to get people to pay for your skills! Whether you are a professional or small business owner who wants more clients via online visibility or a salaried person wanting a side income or passive income, we will show you how to achieve this by showcasing your skills and building a community that trusts and pays you! (watch 1st lecture for free). One-time payment! No recurring fees! Life-long access to videos!
Our new book for kids: “Chinchu Gets a Superpower!” is now available!
Must-read book even for adults! This is something that every parent should teach their kids right from their young age. The importance of money management and decision making based on their wants and needs. Very nicely written in simple terms. - Arun.Buy the book: Chinchu gets a superpower for your child!
How to profit from content writing: Our new ebook is for those interested in getting side income via content writing. It is available at a 50% discount for Rs. 500 only!
Do you want to check if the market is overvalued or undervalued? Use our market valuation tool (it will work with any index!), or get the Tactical Buy/Sell timing tool!
We publish monthly mutual fund screeners and momentum, low-volatility stock screeners.
About freefincal & its content policy. Freefincal is a News Media Organization dedicated to providing original analysis, reports, reviews and insights on mutual funds, stocks, investing, retirement and personal finance developments. We do so without conflict of interest and bias. Follow us on Google News. Freefincal serves more than three million readers a year (5 million page views) with articles based only on factual information and detailed analysis by its authors. All statements made will be verified with credible and knowledgeable sources before publication. Freefincal does not publish paid articles, promotions, PR, satire or opinions without data. All opinions will be inferences backed by verifiable, reproducible evidence/data. Contact information: letters {at} freefincal {dot} com (sponsored posts or paid collaborations will not be entertained)
Connect with us on social media
- Twitter @freefincal
- Subscribe to our YouTube Videos
- Posts feed via Feedburner.
Our publications
You Can Be Rich Too with Goal-Based Investing
Published by CNBC TV18, this book is meant to help you ask the right questions and seek the correct answers, and since it comes with nine online calculators, you can also create custom solutions for your lifestyle! Get it now.Gamechanger: Forget Startups, Join Corporate & Still Live the Rich Life You Want
This book is meant for young earners to get their basics right from day one! It will also help you travel to exotic places at a low cost! Get it or gift it to a young earner.Your Ultimate Guide to Travel
This is an in-depth dive into vacation planning, finding cheap flights, budget accommodation, what to do when travelling, and how travelling slowly is better financially and psychologically, with links to the web pages and hand-holding at every step. Get the pdf for Rs 300 (instant download)