In our country, if we are asked to prove our identity as citizens of India, the first thing we reach for is the Aadhaar card. This simple card holds all information about you, and if it gets in the wrong hands, then it can be easily misused for fraudulent activities. To avoid all these worries, and to live life stress-free, the best option for you is to get a masked Aadhaar card. If you are ever caught up in a situation where you don’t wish to disclose your personal details, this masked Aadhar card will come in handy!
What is a Masked Aadhaar Card?
To steer away from potential frauds that can occur, the UIDAI has come up with a masked Aadhaar card. You must have heard this term before, but do you know what a masked Aadhaar means?
Before getting into the details of a masked Aadhaar card, let’s understand what an Aadhaar card really consists of. What we all know as Aadhaar is a 12-digit unique identification number which is issued by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI). This unique number is mandatory to have for various tasks like opening a bank account or investing in a government scheme.
This brings us to the fact that having your Aadhaar card securely with you at all times is of utmost importance, and if you lose it by chance, then many frauds can be committed in your name.
To explain simply, it has all the information that your Aadhaar contains but in a virtual form which makes it much more secure. Having a masked Aadhaar means that you can transmit your unique ID without the risk of any personal information being revealed.
According to the UIDAI website, a masked Aadhaar means an e- Aadhaar download which allows you to hide your Aadhaar number. When you are using a masked Aadhaar card, the first eight digits of your Aadhaar number are substituted with characters like “xxxx-xxxx,” while exposing only the last 4-digits.
As a result, using a masked Aadhaar means using the card without disclosing your aadhaar number is a much safer alternative.
Key Takeaways
- The UIDAI issues a unique 12-digit number to every citizen of India, which we commonly know as our Aadhaar number
- Understanding how to download a masked Aadhaar card is not a difficult task, and it can be downloaded multiple times if you have a registered number
- Setting a masked Aadhaar password can be a super quick process
- A masked Aadhaar download can be super advantageous for you as it offers security and convenience
Benefits of a Masked Aadhaar Card
There are many advantages of having a masked Aadhaar, and if you are interested in knowing what they are, keep reading!
Security: The most important aspect of getting a masked Aadhaar is the security it offers. We all know that, if our Aadhaar gets in the wrong hands, it can easily be misused because your Aadhaar is a proof of your identity. So, using a masked Aadhaar would ensure that your identity number remains undisclosed.
Saves Time: Whenever we are availing of service, asking for proof of identity is a given, and often this process of authentication can take up a lot of time. So, if you have a masked Aadhaar download on you, this process can become much smoother and quicker.
Convenience: While using a masked Aadhaar card, you can give your identity proof without sharing your unique 12-digit number. Apart from security, the convenience of a masked Aadhaar card cannot be denied. Rather than having an Aadhaar card in your pocket, you can simply keep a masked Aadhaar on your phone.
Why Use a Masked Aadhaar?
A masked Aadhaar card is used to hide the first eight digits of a Aadhaar card and it only reveals the last four digits. This way, it can help in protecting sensitive information and prevents fraudulent activities with your Aadhaar card. Apart from being a crucial identity card, Aadhar card serves many other purposes as well; it is used to avail subsidies, passport acquisition, opening a bank account and many more.
However, in some cases, Aadhaar can also be misused by attackers and criminals. To prevent that Masked Aadhaar card offers security by masking the first eight digits of your Aadhar card number. Users can share their Masked Aadhaar for eKYC where it is not necessary to share the full Aadhaar number because it only displays the last four digits.
How to Download a Masked Aadhaar Card?
By now you must be thinking that ‘I want a masked Aadhaar card,’ and we are here to guide you through this process. Downloading a masked Aadhaar card is quite a simple process and all you need to do is follow a few simple steps.
- Visit the UIDAI website
- Click the ‘My Aadhaar’ tab
- Select ‘Download Aadhaar’ option
- Enter the 12-digit Aadhaar number
- ‘Masked Aadhaar’ option would appear
- Verify the captcha
- Select ‘Send OTP’
- Enter the OTP received
- The option to download your Aadhaar would appear
- Enter the 8-character Aadhaar letter PDF Password
Steps to Download a Masked Aadhaar
Follow these steps to do a masked Aadhaar download online:
- Visit the My Aadhaar section of the official UIDAI website, or go to https://eaadhaar.uidai.gov.in/.
- Type the 12-digit number from your Aadhaar card.
- Click on ‘I want a masked Aadhar’
- Enter the supplied Captcha verification code to complete the verification.
- Select “Send OTP.”
- Save a copy of the e-Aadhaar.
- Type in the OTP you received and select “Download Aadhaar.”
How to Open a Masked Aadhaar Card?
To open your masked Aadhar card, you must enter your E-Aadhaar card password, that is, the first four letters of your name, as it appears on your Aadhaar card, written in CAPITALS, along with the year of your birth (in YYYY format), together make up the password for your Aadhaar card PDF file.
How to Set a Password for a Masked Aadhaar?
Downloading your masked Aadhaar card is a fairly simple process, and there is only one thing that you need. A masked Aadhaar password that is generated by the system in a particular format.
Your masked Aadhaar password is the first 4 letters of your name in capital letters and your birth year. For example,if your name is AYUSHI and birth year is 1990, your masked Aadhaar download password would be AYUS1990.
Where Can a Masked Aadhaar Be Used?
With digitisation taking over the world, and everything is shifted to an online mode, it only makes sense to have the option to have a masked Aadhaar that can easily help in authentication online in a safe manner.
There are a number of places where a masked Aadhaar can be used. If you want to open an account or wish to apply for a debit card, it is common for banks to ask for an identity proof like your Aadhaar card. In this case, you can use your masked Aadhaar as well.
In a similar way, you can also use your masked Aadhaar card to avail of personal loans from a bank or non-bank institutions.
Conclusion
As we are all aware, there has been a significant increase in online crimes with scammers and fraudsters at every corner of the internet. This has made online safety a top-priority, and to help you in keeping your identity safe, masked Aadhaar was introduced.
Now that you know all about masked Aadhaar, how to get masked aadhaar card and how it can help you in keeping your personal information safe, it might be time to download yours if you haven’t already. So, the next time you need to avail a service or make a purchase where proof of identity is necessary, use a masked Aadhaar card, and make purchases worry-free!
FAQs
Yes, you can! When you decide to rent a home, you would be asked to sign an agreement for the same, and you would be asked to show proof of identity. In such cases, you can show them your masked Aadhaar from which your photo and identity would be verified.
Sadly no, no government scheme can be availed without sharing your entire Aadhaar number. So, if you want to avail the benefits of the LPG subsidy scheme or any other scheme, showing only your masked Aadhaar card would not be sufficient.
There is no limit to the times a masked Aadhaar can be downloaded. So you can download it multiple times as per your needs.
Just like our physical card, a masked Aadhaar card is valid for the entire life of an individual.
Yes, if you already have an Aadhaar card then you can download a masked Aadhaar for free from the UIDAI website.
Yes! masked Aadhar card is a valid source of identity.
Physical copies of Aadhar card, e-Aadhaar and masked Aadhaar issued by UIDAI are valid sources of identity proof for KYC.
Yes, banks accept masked Aadhar card as it is a valid identity proof.
Also, read about Change Aadhaar Card Address Online