‘No OTP, No Call, Yet Account Drained’—Take These Steps Immediately; Government Reveals How to Stay Safe
Money can be siphoned off from your account even without an OTP or a phone call. The government has issued a warning to the public regarding this matter. Furthermore, it has outlined the methods to protect oneself from such incidents.
Cybercriminals are employing novel techniques to defraud people. You may receive neither an OTP nor a phone call on your registered number, yet funds could still be stolen from your account. The government has issued an alert regarding this threat and has also provided information on preventive measures. ‘Cyber Dost’—the handle representing the I4C (Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre), the cybersecurity wing of the Government of India—shared details about this specific fraud via its official X (formerly Twitter) handle.
1/6 Na OTP. Na call. Phir bhi account khali - AEPS Face Authentication fraud Alert
— CyberDost I4C (@Cyberdost) April 30, 2026
AEPS system mein Aadhaar aur biometric ke through transactions possible hote hain lekin isi system ka misuse karke scammers logo ke accounts se paise nikaal rahe hain
Sirf ek photo, AI ka use,… pic.twitter.com/wnRmG93mwp
Through its X handle, ‘Cyber Dost’ has alerted the public about an AEPS Face Authentication fraud scam. Users receive neither a phone call nor an OTP, yet funds mysteriously vanish from their bank accounts. This entire operation is being executed through AEPS—the Aadhaar Enabled Payment System—specifically via its face authentication feature. The government introduced this facility to enable cash withdrawals using Aadhaar-based face verification; however, hackers are now exploiting this feature for malicious purposes.
What is AEPS Fraud?
The I4C has explained that hackers commit fraud against individuals’ accounts via AEPS by utilizing a photograph of the victim in conjunction with Artificial Intelligence (AI). To execute this, they require nothing more than a photograph of the target and an AI tool. To safeguard against this scam, the first and most crucial step is for individuals to remain vigilant. Your own awareness is your strongest defense against this type of fraud. To ensure protection, individuals must keep their Aadhaar biometric data locked so that fraudsters are unable to misuse it.
How to Stay Safe?
To implement this security measure, users must log in to the official Aadhaar app or the ‘mAadhaar’ app.
Once logged in, navigate to the ‘Services’ section and enable the ‘Biometric Lock’ option.
Whenever you need to use your biometrics (e.g., for a transaction), simply access the app again to unlock it temporarily.
Once your task is complete, ensure you lock it again immediately.
What to Do If You Fall Victim to Fraud?
In this way, you can protect yourself from AEPS face authentication fraud. Furthermore, the government has advised users that if you do not use AEPS, you should call your bank’s customer care number to have the service deactivated. This will prevent hackers from withdrawing funds from your account. If you have been a victim of any fraud, please call the Cyber Crime Helpline at 1930 to report it.
