Fingerprints cloned from sale deeds used to siphon money off bank accounts, warns Haryana police

These thumb impressions and other details are then used to withdraw money from Aadhaar-linked accounts using AEPS-enabled PoS machines, the letter read.Jamabandi is a document prepared as part of a record-of-right in every revenue estate.

Fraudsters are cloning thumb impressions from sale deeds available on a Haryana government website and siphoning money off bank accounts, the state police has warned the land records department.

In a letter to the director of the state's land records department dated May 10, the police said, ''It is in reference to a case which has been traced by Faridabad police related to a Aadhaar-Enabled Payment System (AEPS) fraud where the victim's money was withdrawn by creating a forged biometric thumb impression.'' The fraudsters log on to the Jamabandi website, fill in district and tehsil details and random dates, and then download all sale deeds for that day, the police stated.

''From any of the registered sale deeds, they copy the thumb impression on a butter paper and then create duplicate silicone thumbs. These thumb impressions and other details are then used to withdraw money from Aadhaar-linked accounts using AEPS-enabled PoS machines,'' the letter read.

Jamabandi is a document prepared as part of a record-of-right in every revenue estate. It contains entries regarding ownership, cultivation and various rights in land among others.

The Haryana Police communication further said, ''Since many frauds are happening in this manner because of easy availability of thumb impressions and other details on sale deeds, it is highly recommended that only the first page of deeds are made visible for the general public.'' The police also recommended an audit of the website to identify and fix other loopholes.

Last year too, the Haryana Police had claimed to have busted a gang allegedly siphoning off money from bank accounts of people using AEPS by cloning fingerprints.

AEPS is an NPCI-led model which allows online interoperable financial inclusion transactions at PoS (micro ATM) through the business correspondent of any bank using Aadhaar authentication.

The only inputs required to do a transaction under the AEPS mode are IIN (identification of the customer's bank), Aadhaar number and fingerprint.

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