The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Harassment by credit card agents alleged

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Dec 10, 2005

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Harassment by credit card agents alleged

Staff Reporter

Woman gets threatening reminders, asking for `dues'

CHENNAI : The Greater Chennai Police Commissioner, R.Nataraj, on Friday received a complaint from a resident of Chintadripet that an agent of a private bank was harassing her, asking her to immediately pay the dues on her credit card when she did not hold a card.

Shyamala Anand said she had applied for an ICICI bank credit card through an agent last year. But she was told that the bank rejected her application. "After this, I forgot about the credit card," she said.

In June this year, she received a message on her mobile phone: "Thanks for payment of Rs. 8,900 received for card no 5xxx1006 by auto debit."

Ms. Shyamala said she forwarded the message to her husband's mobile phone. Again in August last, the agent called her to inform her that her outstanding was Rs 30,000, which she must pay immediately.

Ms. Shyamala filed a complaint at the ICICI bank's Kotturpuram branch on August 30 this year. The bank authorities assured her that they would look into the problem immediately. However, she continued receiving messages. "In a week, I would get two or three messages," she said

A couple of days ago a person called her on her mobile and threatened that she would have to face serious consequences if she did not pay her dues. She was not able to trace the number. This time the bank authorities took another complaint from her and suggested that she file a complaint with the police. Ms. Shyamala's complaint will be referred to the Central Crime Branch. A senior officer of the CCB said more people should come forward to file complaints of intimidation of by private banks or their agents.

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