Spike In Aadhaar Payment Frauds Raises Security Concerns; Experts Link It With Demonetisation, Contractual Hiring

Approximately 29,000 incidents of Aadhaar Enabled Payment System (AePS) fraud have been reported on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal, according to Minister of State for Home Affairs, Bandi Sanjay Kumar. He recently shared this information in the Rajya Sabha. The Free Press Journal spoke with investigating agencies and industry experts to uncover the reasons behind these recurring cyber frauds.

The National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (NCRP) [https://cybercrime.gov.in] was launched in 2020 as part of the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C). The platform allows the public to report all types of cyber crimes, with a special focus on crimes against women and children. Incidents reported on this portal, their conversion into FIRs, and subsequent actions are handled by the respective State/UT law enforcement agencies according to legal provisions.

Experts believe that AePS-related fraud began to surge following demonetisation. “After 2016, many banks gradually started outsourcing various tasks, including documentation, technology, and even personnel. This led to the hiring of contract employees from outsourced firms. Nowadays, when you visit a bank, you’re likely to see new faces frequently. These contract employees come and go like daily wagers, yet they have full access to the banking system. Their contract jobs come with targets, such as opening 70 bank accounts a month. To meet these goals, they may resort to unethical means, as it directly affects their paychecks. Most of those arrested in connection with cybercrime are contract employees who had access to account holder information," explained an expert who wished to remain anonymous.

Recently, the Mumbai Police uncovered several cybercrime cases in which the accused turned out to be bank employees who were assisting cybercriminals by creating accounts for illegal transactions. While the masterminds often evade capture, the bank employees end up becoming scapegoats.

N. Shankar, General Secretary of the All India Union Bank Employees Association, commented on the issue of outsourcing. “When the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) approved outsourcing, it issued guidelines covering both material and non-material outsourcing, emphasizing the ‘safety factors’ that banks must prioritize for customer security. The RBI also stressed the need for regular audits of outsourcing companies. If these audits are properly conducted, many potential issues could be identified in time,” he said.

Meanwhile, Mumbai Police officials believe that the banking sector as a whole requires greater scrutiny and stricter regulations to combat the rising cyber frauds. “Banks play a crucial role in enabling cyber fraud. Just as it’s easy to open a bank account, it’s equally easy to misuse the sensitive information of ordinary citizens for serious criminal activities without their knowledge. We have arrested numerous individuals, only to later discover that they had no direct involvement in the crime. The real perpetrators operate from remote locations, far beyond our reach. Protecting citizens from falling victim to these scams is imperative, and the banks must be part of the solution,” said a senior police official.

The minister highlighted the efforts being made under the ‘Citizen Financial Cyber Fraud Reporting and Management System’ (I4C) for the immediate reporting of financial fraud and preventing fraudsters from siphoning funds. He stated that over ₹2,400 crores have been saved across more than 7.6 lakh complaints. Additionally, a toll-free helpline number, 1930, is operational to assist in lodging cyber complaints. To date, over 5.8 lakh SIM cards and 1,08,000 IMEIs have been blocked, based on police reports, by the Government of India.