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UPI · card · net banking fraud

Complaint letter to bank for unauthorised transaction — ready to fill, with your deadline

Short answer. The letter is already open below: add your transaction details and send it today. Report a third-party fraud: zero liability: Within 3 working days of the bank's alert (RBI (Commercial Banks – Responsible Business Conduct) Directions, 2025, para 67(2); RBI circular 06.07.2017).

  • Zero liability window ends (third-party fraud, reported within 3 working days): type the date
  • Limited liability window ends (4th–7th working day: liability capped at ₹5,000–25,000): type the date
  • Bank to credit the amount (shadow reversal) — 10 working days from your report, if you report on the alert date: type the date
  • Bank to resolve the complaint and fix liability — 90 days from receipt of complaint, if you complain on the alert date: type the date
  • Only for transactions from 1 Jan 2027 (new RBI rules): report within 5 calendar days of the transaction: type the date

Working days: Monday to Friday; public holidays are not deducted. Check your own case.

RBI counts working days by your home branch's schedule and does not count the day you got the alert. Our calculator skips only Saturdays and Sundays — bank holidays can move the date, and branches open on some Saturdays can make it earlier. Treat the date as the outer limit and report today. The 10- and 90-day dates run from the day you notify the bank; if you report later, enter that date instead. Source: RBI (Commercial Banks – Responsible Business Conduct) Directions, 2025, paras 67–73 (carrying forward the RBI circular of 6 July 2017).

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The clock starts when the bank's SMS reaches you, so every day matters. Fill in the table, send the letter today and keep the complaint number.

Write only what really happened. If you did share an OTP on a call, change paragraph 3 — an honest letter is stronger than a perfect one.

An illustrated character, not a lawyer.

Deadlines

The rules, with the source

WhatDeadlineSource
Report a third-party fraud: zero liabilityWithin 3 working days of the bank's alertRBI (Commercial Banks – Responsible Business Conduct) Directions, 2025, para 67(2); RBI circular 06.07.2017
Report on the 4th–7th working day: liability capped₹5,000 (BSBD), ₹10,000 (other savings accounts, prepaid instruments, MSME current/CC/OD accounts, individuals' current/CC/OD accounts up to ₹25 lakh, credit cards up to ₹5 lakh), ₹25,000 (all other current/CC/OD accounts, credit cards above ₹5 lakh) — or the transaction value, if lowerSame Directions, para 68(2), Table 1
Reported after 7 working daysAs per the bank's Board-approved policySame Directions, para 69
Bank credits the disputed amount (shadow reversal)Within 10 working days of your notificationSame Directions, para 72
Bank resolves the complaint and fixes liabilityNot more than 90 days from receipt of the complaint; if not resolved, compensation is payableSame Directions, para 73
Who must prove the customer was at faultThe bankSame Directions, para 75
Transactions from 1 January 2027 (new rules)Zero liability for third-party breach if reported within 5 calendar days; complaint resolved within 45 days (60 for cross-border)RBI (Commercial Banks – Responsible Business Conduct) Third Amendment Directions, 2026, paras 76M, 76Q

These are the rules for commercial banks. Small finance banks, payments banks, co-operative banks and regional rural banks follow their own parallel RBI directions on the same subject — check your bank's customer protection policy. If you shared an OTP or PIN yourself, the loss up to the time you report is on you — so report immediately in every case.

Step by step

What to do, in order

  1. 1

    Block first

    Call the bank's helpline or reply to the alert SMS and block the card, UPI or net banking. Note the time and complaint number.

  2. 2

    Report the cyber fraud

    Call 1930 or file on cybercrime.gov.in. Keep the acknowledgement number for your letter.

  3. 3

    Send this letter

    Fill in the transaction table and send it to the branch and the bank's grievance officer by e-mail or the complaint portal the same day.

  4. 4

    Get an acknowledgement

    The bank must give you a complaint number. Ask for it in writing.

  5. 5

    Watch for the credit

    The bank should shadow-credit the amount within 10 working days of your report. Check your statement.

  6. 6

    Escalate if needed

    If the bank does not reply or you are not satisfied, complain to the RBI Ombudsman at cms.rbi.org.in. Check the current filing deadline on cms.rbi.org.in — don't wait.

Questions

I reported on the 5th working day. Do I lose everything?

No. If the fault was with a third party, your loss is capped at the transaction value or ₹5,000–25,000 depending on the account type, whichever is lower. After 7 working days it depends on the bank's policy.

Do I need a police complaint first?

No. Your letter to the bank comes first, and the bank must credit the amount without waiting for any insurance claim. Report on cybercrime.gov.in or call 1930 as well — it gives you an official record, and for frauds from 1 January 2027 it is a condition for RBI's small-fraud compensation.

The bank says I shared my OTP. What now?

The bank has to prove your fault. Ask for the logs in writing. If you did share an OTP, the loss before you reported is yours, and anything after your report is the bank's.

Official sources

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This is a ready document and a deadline calculation, not legal advice.