28,269 complaints of unauthorised banking transactions in last 3 months

New Delhi, July 26

Banks have received a total of 28,269 complaints pertaining to unauthorised transactions, debit in account without use or details of the card and use of stolen or cloned cards.

As per RBI, these complaints have been received under the erstwhile Banking Ombudsman Scheme, 2006 and Reserve Bank-Integrated Ombudsman Scheme, during the period from April 1, 2021 to June 30, 2022, of which, it has disposed of 26,930 complaints.

A Parliament reply on Tuesday said that to help the customers recover loss sustained on account of fraudulent transactions, RBI has issued instructions on limiting the liability of customers in cases of unauthorised electronic banking transactions.

In cases where the deficiency lies neither with the bank nor with the customer but elsewhere in the system, the liability of a customer is zero, if she or he informs the bank regarding an unauthorised electronic transaction within three working days of receiving information in respect of the transaction from the bank, said the reply.

Liability of the customer ranges from Rs 5,000 to Rs 25,000, if reported within 4-7 working days, and if reported beyond seven working days, it shall be determined as per the bank's Board approved policy. Further, in cases where the loss is due to the negligence by a customer, any loss occurring after the reporting of the unauthorised transaction shall be borne by the bank, the reply said.

Banks have also been advised by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to ensure that any complaint is resolved and liability of the customer, if any, is established within a period not exceeding 90 days or as may be specified in the bank's Board approved policy, whichever is lower. Also, the burden of proving customer liability in case of an unauthorised electronic banking transaction has now been migrated on to the bank.