Kamal Ghorui
MUMBAI: An IT consultant from Kandivli, Ajay Kumar, got an FIR registered on March 6 at Samta Nagar police station over alleged fraudulent credit card transactions on June 28, 2024 — nearly 21 months after the incident.Kumar alleged that around 60 transactions worth approximately Rs 2.75 lakh were carried out between June 28 and July 8, 2024, in Santiago (Chile) and Dubai while he was in India. He stated that he did not receive any OTPs or transaction alerts and that the transactions came to his notice subsequently through account review. Police registered the FIR following his complaint and subsequent escalation of the matter.Police filed the FIR after Kumar said he would approach consumer court. He claimed the bank debited about Rs 82,000 from his linked savings account — part of an LIC maturity payout — without notice, and is still demanding Rs 2.8 lakh.In emails, Kumar said the bank failed to provide proof of OTP authentication, logs, or investigation records, insisting he never received any alerts. He also disputed the lien recovery from his savings account while the fraud remains unresolved. “In the absence of verifiable records, the conclusion that the transactions are genuine remains unsubstantiated and is disputed,” he wrote.The bank responded that Rs 81,372.75 was recovered via lien against dues on a written-off credit card account, with prior intimation sent. It said the amount cannot be refunded, the outstanding balance is Rs 2.86 lakh, and earlier disputed transactions were verified as OTP-authenticated. The bank added that lien marking and recoveries may continue until dues are cleared.In a similar case, Borivli resident Navneet Batra (67) faced fraudulent transactions of Rs 1.9 lakh in 2023. Despite police recovering Rs 1.93 lakh after three years, the bank increased his dues to Rs 2.66 lakh with interest and sent legal notices.From 2020-2025, Maharashtra recorded 8,047 card and internet banking fraud cases; 1,226 were solved with 1,237 arrests. Rs 372 crore was siphoned, with Rs 11.2 crore recovered. Police say recovery is low due to rapid fund transfers across accounts.Experts argue OTP-based defences are outdated, as fraud often involves impersonation, data leaks, or systemic failures. They say liability should shift to institutions, urging stronger verification and adherence to RBI zero-liability norms. Officials note fraud typically involves stolen data, phishing, cloned cards, or account takeovers. Legal experts say rising cybercrime is driven by widespread internet use, while low conviction rates (2.9-7.9%) reflect weak deterrence and lack of specialized cyber courts.
