A District Consumer Redressal Forum on August 4 dismissed a complaint made against Punjab National Bank (PNB) by a man who alleged that bank officials were involved in a case where he was duped of a few lakh rupees by a hoax caller.
ATM card
The complainant, Om Prakash, had alleged that he had received a call from a man claiming to be an official from PNB who asked him for the last four digits of his ATM card.
The alleged bank official then told the complainant that this information was required to replace the old ATM cards.
Mr. Prakash further alleged that, on checking his bank records a month later, he found that his card had been used for purchasing products amounting to ₹1,30,000. He even alleged that the bank officials were involved in the incident as he had not given his ATM card to anybody or revealed the personal ID.
‘Customer’s lapse’
However, defending its stance, the bank argued that the transaction records clearly reflected the fact that the said transactions had been carried out with the help of the ATM card itself. Refuting the allegations, the bank further claimed that during issuance of ATM cards, they advise customers to not share their card details with anyone.
In its reply to the court, the bank said, “The complaint is wholly misconceived, groundless and unsustainable which is liable to be dismissed.”
Keeping the above facts in mind, the district forum dismissed the complaint stating that it was a lapse on the part of the customer. In its order, the redressal forum stated, “Once the bank issued the ATM card-cum-Debit card and personal ID number (PIN), it is the duty of the customer to secure the same and the bank cannot be held liable for misuse or unauthorised use.”
