RBI Ombudsman Complaint for an Unauthorised Transaction

An RBI Ombudsman complaint is what you file when your bank has looked at an unauthorised electronic banking transaction, called it "customer authorised", and closed the ticket. It is free, it is online, it needs no lawyer, and it is the one forum where the bank must explain itself against the RBI's own rules. This guide walks through the sequence in the order the scheme requires.

Before an RBI Ombudsman complaint: the 30 days at the bank

The Integrated Ombudsman Scheme 2021 covers banks, NBFCs, payment system operators, prepaid wallets and credit information companies under one window. Its first rule is that the regulated entity gets the first chance. You must have complained to the bank in writing and either received a rejection, an unsatisfactory reply, or nothing at all for 30 days.

So the sequence starts on the day of the fraud. Call 1930 and file on the national portal, as described in how to report cyber crime in India. Then, the same day, write to the bank. Email the official grievance address or use the complaint section in the app, and say plainly:

On [date] at [time], [number] transactions totalling ₹[amount] were made from my account [last four digits] without my authorisation, induced by a third party who [one line on the deception]. I reported this to the bank's helpline at [time] on [date] and to the national cyber crime helpline 1930 (acknowledgement [number]). I request that the transactions be treated as unauthorised under the RBI circular of 6 July 2017 and the amount be credited to my account.

Keep the acknowledgement and note the reference number. That letter, and its date, is the foundation of everything that follows.

Step 1: Know the rule you are relying on

The RBI circular of 6 July 2017 on limiting liability of customers in unauthorised electronic banking transactions is the document the Ombudsman applies. It divides cases three ways.

The circular also sets two obligations on the bank: a shadow credit of the disputed amount within ten working days of your report in covered cases, and resolution within 90 days. Where the bank misses the 90 days, the circular directs that you be compensated as if the liability rule applied, even if the fault lay elsewhere. Note these dates in your complaint.

Step 2: Answer the "customer authorised" argument

Most OTP, UPI PIN and screen-sharing frauds are rejected by banks on the ground that the customer completed the transaction. The counter-argument has three parts. First, the circular itself puts third-party fraud in the zero-liability bucket; deception is third-party action. Second, the question of negligence is for the bank to prove, and the circular says the burden of proving customer liability lies on the bank. Third, your report timing: if you were within three working days, say so with the timestamps.

Describe the deception in neutral detail: the number that called, what the caller claimed, which app was installed, what was shown on screen. The Ombudsman reads hundreds of these, and a precise account of a vishing call or a screen-sharing fraud is more persuasive than a general plea.

Step 3: File on cms.rbi.org.in

Go to the RBI Complaint Management System and choose "File a complaint". The form asks for your details, the bank or entity, the bank's complaint reference and date, the nature of the complaint (select unauthorised electronic transaction), the amount, and the relief sought. Upload in PDF:

You will receive a complaint number, and the file goes to the Centralised Receipt and Processing Centre for allocation. The bank is asked for its records and comments. You can also send a physical complaint by post or ask for help on the RBI contact centre number 14448, which guides on filing but does not decide cases.

Wallets, UPI apps and NBFCs

The same window covers a prepaid wallet that lost your balance, a UPI app that failed to act on a dispute, or an NBFC that debited a loan you never took. Complain to that entity first, wait the 30 days, then file against it by name. If two entities are involved, for example your bank and a payment app, file against the one that held your money.

Step 4: What happens next, and how long

Most complaints are decided on documents. The Ombudsman may attempt conciliation, inviting both parties to settle; if that fails, an award is passed. Timelines vary with the Ombudsman office's load; weeks to a few months is a reasonable expectation. If the award directs a refund, the bank must comply within the period stated and inform the Ombudsman. If the award goes against you on a ground that permits appeal, you can appeal to the Appellate Authority within 30 days.

What the Ombudsman cannot do

It cannot trace or freeze the scammer's money; that is the 1930 and CFCFRMS route described in how to get money back after online fraud. It cannot register an FIR. And it will not hear a case already before a court or consumer forum on the same facts, so choose the forum before filing both. For loan-app harassment and unregulated lenders the correct RBI channel is Sachet rather than the Ombudsman; the RBI page on this site sets out which portal does what.

One warning that applies to every stage: people presenting themselves as "RBI officers" or "Ombudsman agents" will phone victims offering to speed up the award for a fee or asking for a "verification transfer". The RBI does not call complainants to collect money, ever. The details those callers hold come from the fraud itself. If you would rather have someone experienced draft the complaint and track it, our financial fraud response service does that for a fixed fee agreed in advance.