Aadhaar Update Fake Portal Scam through an app

How it looks through an app, the red flags and what to do.

Scam apps pretend to be a bank, a loan service, a game, a government service or a "support tool", and they ask for access to SMS, contacts, the screen or accessibility. Aadhaar Update Fake Portal Scam is one of the ways this shows up: Fake Aadhaar update and download websites rank in search results, charge a 'service fee' and collect your Aadhaar number, phone and photo.

What aadhaar update fake portal scam looks like through an app

• A screen-sharing or remote-control app that a caller asks you to install.
• A loan app that asks for contacts and photos.
• A "KYC", "challan" or "bank rewards" app from a link.

Scammers register websites and pay for advertising so their page appears above the real one. The address is close to the real one but not the same, and the page copies the look of a government portal. Some are also pushed through videos and posts promising a free instant Aadhaar update. The scammer has not hacked anything. They only need you to arrive.

Red flags to check on the app

• The site promises instant correction in minutes.
• The web address has extra words, hyphens or an unusual ending.
• It asks for a selfie holding your Aadhaar card.
• A fee is demanded by personal UPI or a payment link.
• It has few or odd reviews, or a name with spelling changes.
• It asks you to turn off Play Protect.

What to do

1. Close the page without entering anything.
2. Type the official UIDAI website address by hand, or use the mAadhaar app from the official store.
3. Never upload your Aadhaar to a site you reached through an ad.
4. Call your bank, and call 1930 if money moved.
5. Do not install it. If it is installed, uninstall it now (Settings, Apps).
6. Open Settings and check Accessibility, Device admin apps and Install unknown apps for anything you do not recognise.

Report the fake app to the store it came from and, if money moved, call 1930 and report at cybercrime.gov.in.

If money or a code is already gone

1. Call 1930 if you paid through UPI and report the payee details.
2. File a complaint on cybercrime.gov.in with the page address and screenshots.
3. Check your credit report for loans or accounts you did not open.
4. Keep an eye on SIM and bank alerts and report any new ones to the provider through official channels.

National Cyber Crime Helpline: 1930; report at cybercrime.gov.in.

Safeavio Sentinel's link check lets you paste a web address before you open it and shows signs like lookalike domains and risky patterns. The scam check reads text you share and points out money demands and fake authority. The phone scan can show unknown apps or copies of apps you did not install. It cannot judge a site you do not paste, and it cannot delete a document you have already uploaded.

Full guide: Aadhaar Update Fake Portal Scam: how it works, signs and what to do. Other channels: social media, email.

Questions