Truth Behind UIDAI Number Auto-Saved in Contacts List of Your Mobile Phone

If you are living in India, you might have received this message in your WhatsApp groups, Facebook, Twitter or via SMS, email. The message contains information about a helpline number (1800-300-1947) with the name UIDAI. The message claims that it’s a malicious number which was mysteriously saved to people contacts list without their knowledge and can misuse their bank accounts, SIM, etc. The message asks everyone to delete the number from their contacts list.

When people receive this message, they immediately search for the UIDAI number in their contacts list. Many people actually find the mentioned number in their mobile phone and they delete the number as requested. They start believing on the message and forward the message to others and thus the rumor starts spreading everywhere.

So is it true or a fake news?

This is a FAKE news and UIDAI is not a dangerous or malicious number. It’s not a virus and you don’t need to worry about this number stored in your contacts list. This rumor started spreading in August last year and some people are still trying to spread it in 2019 via social networks. Yesterday I received this message again and I immediately decided to create this article.

UIDAI stands for “Unique Identification Authority of India“. It is an Indian government agency that issues Aadhaar unique identification numbers (UIDs) and cards. The helpline number (1800-300-1947) mentioned in the message is an outdated and invalid tool free number which is no longer used by UIDAI.

According to UIDAI, they never forced any smartphone manufacturer or telecom service provider to add the phone number to their devices.

So how was the number added to people contacts list? It was added to Google Android mobile phones by Android setup wizard. When you purchase new mobile phone, Android setup wizard runs for first time to create your user profile. The setup wizard also runs if you factory reset your smartphone. This setup wizard added the UIDAI number along with another number called Distress (112).

It was happening since 2014 in Google Android devices. UIDAI and Distress helpline numbers were inadvertently coded into the setup wizard of Google Android OS release given to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) for use in India and had remained there since.

So you see it’s not any malicious number and you don’t need to panic. Do not believe these kind of rumors and never forward them without investigation.

By the way the correct and official helpline number of UIDAI is 1947 which has been functional for the last two years.

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