The Tamil Nadu government has procured 1,164 advanced level 1 fingerprint scanners to combat land registration fraud involving cloned fingerprints and identity theft through the Aadhaar Enabled Payment System (AEPS). The scanners, distributed across 582 sub-registrar offices, feature enhanced encryption and fingerprint liveliness detection, ensuring authenticity during property transactions. This upgrade follows UIDAI's mandate to enhance security beyond the previously used level 0 scanners. Additionally, the state has implemented Aadhaar and PAN data masking to prevent financial fraud. This move, praised by property consultants, aims to safeguard citizens and ensure secure and reliable property registrations.
The Tamil Nadu government purchased 1,164 state-of-the-art level 1 fingerprint scanners to protect against land registration fraud using cloned fingerprints and stealing fingerprints from sales deeds with the intention to commit financial fraud via Aadhar Enabled Payment System, a media report said last week. According to data, on average, the state registers 15,000 documents and authenticates 50,000 fingerprints in the 582 sub-registrar offices, part of the state registration department. To complete the process of document registration, the department has been using fingerprint scanners along with Aadhaar authentication and EKYC.
A senior registration department official told the media that once a property is purchased, his/her fingerprint is registered. He added that after years when he/she reaches out to the state department to register the sale of the same property and in an otherwise case, whose fingerprints are not registered, Aadhar verification will be done. The department has been using level 0 scanners, which are now upgraded to level 1 after instructions from UIDAI to enhance security levels of fingerprint-based authentication transactions.
The official elaborated that the department has purchased machines and distributed them across sub-registrar offices. He noted that the Level 1 scanners have better encryption and are secure. Fingerprint liveliness security feature is one of the unique parts of the system, he highlighted, which will reveal if the fingerprint is from a person alive or cloned. Additionally, the official explained there have been cases of cloned fingerprints in other states which can be used to make copies using silicones and then used to register documents. He added that such cases have not been reported in Tamil Nadu, but the government needs to enhance the security.
Furthermore, to avoid the theft of fingerprints, Aadhar and PAN card data from the documents, the registration department has started masking the identity before it is handed over to buyers/sellers. This move will deter fraudsters from stealing money and committing financial frauds through AEPS, the media reported. Property consultants also highlighted this action as a good move. According to S. Ramprabhu, CMDA and DTCP committee chair of the Builders Association of India, this will prevent the registration of unclaimed property using forged documents and protect buyers, but also must be monitored properly.
The Tamil Nadu government's procurement of advanced level 1 fingerprint scanners marks a significant step towards enhancing the security of land registration processes. By incorporating superior encryption and fingerprint liveliness features, the state aims to safeguard against fraud and protect citizens from financial crimes. This initiative, coupled with the masking of Aadhaar and PAN data, underscores the commitment to secure and reliable property transactions.
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