Himachal Pradesh News
Himachal cybercrime cell warns of ‘synthetic identity fraud’, scammers using Aadhaar-PAN to take loans
Cybercriminals in Himachal Pradesh are creating fake identities using stolen Aadhaar and PAN details to take loans. Police urge people to stay alert and check credit reports regularly.
Cybercriminals in Himachal Pradesh are adopting a new and alarming method to defraud people by misusing their identity documents to take loans in their names. According to the state CID’s Cybercrime Cell, scammers are increasingly resorting to synthetic identity fraud, also known as “Frankenstein fraud”.
In this method, fraudsters first steal a person’s identity details and then create a fake identity by combining genuine Aadhaar and PAN numbers with fabricated names and photographs. These forged identities are used to avail multiple loans from financial institutions. The liability of these loans eventually reflects in the credit history of the original Aadhaar or PAN holder, leaving the victim burdened with debt they never incurred.
Police officials said such cases have also been reported from Himachal Pradesh, prompting the need for greater public awareness about this emerging cybercrime trend. Victims often come to know about the fraud only when their credit score drops sharply or recovery notices are issued by lenders.
To prevent such frauds, the Cybercrime Cell has issued a set of precautionary measures for citizens. People have been advised to activate the biometric lock feature on the mAadhaar app to secure their Aadhaar details from unauthorised use. Regular monitoring of credit and CIBIL scores has also been recommended to detect any suspicious or unknown loan activity at an early stage.
The police further advised citizens to always mention the purpose and date on photocopies of their identity documents when sharing them with any individual or institution, reducing the risk of misuse.
In case of suspected identity theft or loan fraud, people have been urged to immediately report the incident to the Cybercrime Cell by dialling the toll-free helpline number 1930. Officials said prompt reporting significantly improves the chances of tracking the scammers, recovering financial losses and preventing further misuse of personal data.
