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Blinkit partners with Bharti Airtel to deliver prepaid and postpaid SIM cards to customers’ homes in Indian cities. Customers can get their SIM cards delivered to them in 10 minutes and activate them by Aadhaar based eKYC authentication for a convenience fee of Rs.49. Although this initiative is incredibly convenient, it does come with some very serious security and concerns.
Bharti Airtel on Tuesday announced an alliance with Blinkit to speed up SIM card delivery in some Indian locations. A prepaid Airtel SIM card and a postpaid Airtel SIM card can be delivered right to the customer’s home for a little convenience fee. In order to activate the SIM cards, they need to complete an activation process which requires KYC verification.
How Blinkit SIM delivery could be dangerous?
Aadhaar based eKYC, along with the ease of doorstep SIM card delivery presents a lot of risk to be used by hackers. In the past, Aadhaar linked eKYC systems have been misused as in the case of Airtel secretly opening bank accounts of customers without their consent. The vulnerabilities would allow the fraudsters to create SIM cards using stolen identities. Criminals have managed to obtain SIM cards using forged identity documents or have misused legitimate credentials of which the victim was unaware. Many times, these counterfeit SIMs are used in illegal activities like cyber fraud, terrorism and human trafficking.
SIM swaps are a fraudster’s tool to take control of a victim’s phone number, intercepting OTPs and accessing sensitive accounts. The availability of SIM cards through delivery services could have made it easier for scammers to influence telecom processes. While Aadhaar data has been leaked from government portals in the past, millions of citizens’ confidential information has been exposed. When such data is used in the eKYC process, it can lead to identity fraud on a large scale.
Often, the SIM cards are obtained through fraudulent means and used for Fake SIMs Intercept OTPs to enable unauthorised transactions. These SIMs are used by criminals to have untraceable digital footprints. Reports suggest that illegal immigrants close to India’s borders are using fake SIM cards for communication and criminal activities.
Why Blinkit needs to be extra careful?
The primary responsibility of Blinkit should be to secure and authenticate SIM card deliveries and not just provide quick service or earn convenience fees. Fast delivery does not outweigh the potential damage that fraudulent SIM activations can cause. Delivery personnel of Blinkit should be well trained to identify fake or forged documents. Before handing over SIM cards, they should be able to verify the authenticity of Aadhaar cards and other identity proofs carefully. If not trained properly, the risk of SIM cards being in the wrong hands is increased.
Bharti Airtel should work hand in hand with Blinkit to ensure that they have strict verification protocols during delivery. It may be biometric verification or real time video KYC to validate that the person who is taking the SIM card is the rightful owner of the SIM. It is common for fraudsters to take advantage of loopholes in delivery and verification processes to acquire SIM cards for illegal activities. It is necessary for Blinkit to be vigilant so that no such misuse happens, which can lead to serious crimes like identity theft, financial fraud, or cyber attacks.
A great initiative for genuine customers by Blinkit and Airtel
Although there is a risk, this service is a fantastic service for customers who require doorstep delivery for genuine reasons like the elderly, the disabled and those in remote areas. Telecom services have become more accessible and convenient in today’s fast world. The telecom provider has provided an internet link with an activation video that goes through the whole process.
Alternatively, they can contact the help center through the Airtel Thanks app or call 9810012345 (for new customers) in case of any questions or further support required. Apparently, delivering an Airtel SIM card using Blinkit is still in its early stages. It is available in 16 Indian cities at the moment — Delhi, Gurgaon, Faridabad, Sonipat, Ahmedabad, Surat, Chennai, Bhopal, Indore, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Pune, Lucknow, Jaipur, Kolkata and Hyderabad.
Future outlook
Customers should be informed about possible scams such as SIM swaps and how to secure your personal information. The eKYC processes should be strictly regulated by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and misuse should be penalised. Rogue dealers should be detected by tracking unusual activation patterns by telecom companies. The misuse of SIM cards can affect individuals, even the whole nation, here are some issues that it can cause: identity theft, cybercrime, etc. Speed and profits should be the last thing on Blinkit’s mind, security measures and staff training should be the first. If done correctly, this initiative can be safe and beneficial for the genuine users as it offers them a convenient way to get telecom services without compromising on the security.
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