HYDERABAD: ICICI bank has been ordered to pay a compensation of Rs 2 lakh to a customer who was wrongfully debited a sum of Rs 30,494. The order came in from the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum after the aggrieved citizen approached the forum.
The incident happened in 2017, when the sum of money was debited from the account of the complainant without him authorising the transaction. He said that he had not even received an OTP for the transaction and was fraudulently charged.
Upon taking it up with the customer services, the credit card was blocked and an internal complaint was registered. The money was returned to him and he was given a new credit card.
However, the same issue occurred again after four months. The complainant was told that the bank had found the transaction in question was genuine, and the sum of Rs 30,494 was again deducted from his account.
He approached the police station with a formal complaint and sent in a legal notice as the bank refused to share the inquiry report that led to the conclusion that the transaction was genuine. The bank, however, did not respond.
The bank maintained at the consumer forum that an OTP was not issued as the transaction was an international e-commerce one, as per RBI guidelines. However, the court noted that no evidence was given on whether the transaction was an international one.