E-wallets raise privacy and hacking fears

Cashless transactions may be a hassle-free way to shop, but it could be used to grossly invade the user’s privacy

“Hi! I just met you and your DP is nice.”

Cyber experts pointed another risk: SIM cards cloned to hack into e-wallets bound to mobile numbers

This was the message a 16-year-old girl in Andheri got from a shopkeeper after she used an e-wallet app to scan a QR code and pay for bread and eggs.

She ignored the Whatsapp message, but the next morning, woke up to a ‘Good morning’ text with a bouquet of flowers.

The girl told her parents, the shopkeeper’s father was told, and finally, the youth stopped messaging her.

Cashless transactions may be a hassle-free way to shop, but it could be used to grossly invade the user’s privacy. Several incidents of shopkeepers getting women customer’s numbers and getting in touch with them have been reported. Cyber law and cyber security expert, advocate Prashant Mali, agreed such incidents are blatant invasions of privacy. “The state must fund a cyber-literacy programme. The more society is aware, fewer crimes will take place.” Ideally, e-wallet apps should ensure the receiver does not get the full contact number of the user.

Cyber experts pointed another risk: SIM cards cloned to hack into e-wallets bound to mobile numbers. “If the person cloning a number gets his hands on the original account details, this will be a huge risk,” Mali said, highlighting the need for stricter security measures. Nitin Bhatnagar, an information security expert, said, “Firms should follow regulations like Payment Application Data Security Standard (PA-DSS) and Payment Card Industry (PCI) or pay a heavy penalty.”

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