Biometric Attendance Scam Rocks Private Medical Colleges in West Bengal

In a shocking revelation, private medical colleges in West Bengal have been rocked by a new attendance scam, with faculty members allegedly using biometric impersonation to forge their presence on the National Medical Commission (NMC) portal. Using a Chinese software and cloned SIM cards, faculty members are uploading "eye-blinking videos" to mark their attendance, despite being absent from colleges. The scam has been reported in several colleges, including those in Krishnagore, Chakdah, Durgapur, and Burdwan, with many faculty members citing pressure from management to opt for the fraud.

Key Takeaways:

• The biometric attendance scam involves faculty members using a Chinese software and cloned SIM cards to upload "eye-blinking videos" to mark their attendance on the NMC portal.
• The scam has been reported in several private medical colleges in West Bengal, including those in Krishnagore, Chakdah, Durgapur, and Burdwan.
• Faculty members are allegedly being pressured by management to opt for the fraud, with many being from Kolkata and receiving remuneration accordingly.
• The college managements have contracts with retired medical professors for teaching three days a week, citing a need for the scam.
• TOI spoke to principals, faculty members, and health department officials who conceded the occurrence of the fraud.

Statistics:

• 100m: The geo-fenced area on the college premises where faculty members are required to mark attendance by looking at their mobile and blinking their eyes.
• 3 days: The number of days per week that retired medical professors are contracted to teach for.
• Several: The number of colleges affected by the biometric attendance scam, including those in Krishnagore, Chakdah, Durgapur, and Burdwan.
• Over 3 months: The timeframe in which the scam has been reported to have occurred.

Sources:

• "A new attendance 'scam', relating to biometric impersonation of faculty members, has been reported at private medical colleges in the state in the past three months." - TOI
• "Earlier, it was based on fingerprint authentication. But a fraud involving silicon fingers prompted the commission to shift to the facial authentication system." - NMC notice dated April 16
• "The college managements have made contracts with the teachers, including retired medical professors, for teaching three days a week, and they get the remuneration accordingly." - TOI
• "The scam is mostly happening in colleges in Krishnagore, Chakdah, Durgapur, and Burdwan." - TOI
• TOI spoke to principals, faculty members, and health department officials who conceded the occurrence of the fraud.