Aadhaar Card consists of a 12 digit unique identification number issued by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), founded by the Government of India to an individual. This ID has become one of the most essential documents in our country to get special benefits from the services offered by the Government.

But the strength of this essential document is also its weakness, as it is used in a wide range of services from opening a bank account to withdrawing money. The number of frauds are also multiplying drastically. Every now and then someone is becoming the prey of the Aadhaar card scam.

Masked Aadhaar By UIDAI

To make these frauds diminish, UIDAI has made available masked Aadhaars, or Virtual ID (VID). So, now the citizens can use these masked Aadhaar cards which contain a 12 digit unique identification number to avail various services without revealing their sensitive info.

When you download e-Aadhaar, a masked one helps you by concealing a major part of your Aadhaar number. As per the UIDAI website, “masked Aadhaar number entails substituting the first eight digits of the Aadhaar number with certain characters like “xxxx-xxxx” while just the last four digits of the Aadhaar number are visible.” So, it is legal smartness to carry a masked Aadhaar instead of the original one and to obtain the e-copies of your ID.

UIDAI wrote on Twitter by defining the advantage of masked Aadhaars that, “Masked Aadhaar can be utilised for eKYC in cases where sharing Aadhaar Number is not required.” It simply displays the last four digits of your Aadhaar number. “When downloading your Aadhaar from: https://eaadhaar.uidai.gov.in, select the ‘Masked Aadhaar‘ option.”