Leg pulling of Credit Card Company and airlines.

Almost two year back I was having around 10 credit card of different bank, and now I am having only one, and for that too I have requested the bank to lower down my credit limit.

All this happened because of fraud happened with my card account. I am not sure why such type of this happens with me only, I am still searching the reason for this, when I will find will surly share with all of you.

The story starts around 1.5 year back, one of my friend was in the rural area where he was not having the internet, so he called me to book the flower for his wife birthday from internet. I go ahead and start the process, chosen the flower and used my credit card to make the payment. But the payments payment fails (as indicated by the site). So I tried the second time and again the payment fails.

But after few second I received a SMS on my mobile that transaction of amount Rs. 1244 happened using your credit card ending with XXXX number. The amount was just double of the amount I was trying to pay through the net for booking the flower.

Quickly I called the customer care of the credit card bank that this was a fail transaction and please do not bill it to my credit card. I have also mail the screen shot of failed transaction. The customer care representative told me to wait for at least two day to confirm this transaction. I was surprised to hear this, and confused for what they are waiting. Any way I wait for 2 day and after that when I saw my credit card statement online there was a confirmed transaction of 1244. I again called the customer care and he advised me to raise he dispute by filling the dispute form and fax them. I did and received a mail that it will be resolved within 40 days.

In mean time they generated the credit card statement and charged that amount to me, where as they have confirmed me at time of our conversations with customer care that this amount will not be included in my statement but they did. Not only they send me the statement but they also start calling me to pay that amount. One of them has even said me that they know how to recover the money from customer, I did that recoding of this talk over the phone and mailed he same to customer care. But nothing happened situation was as it is, I was getting the call form bank to pay the amount but I had already decided not to pay as I have not done this transaction.

After around 2 month I received a packet form the bank bearing detail of this transaction, where it was mentioned that someone form Gurgoan has purchased a pen drive for the same site of cast of 1244. The name, address and mobile number of hat person was also mentioned in that document.

It was enough for me to prove that this is not me who done this transaction. I called to that person and told him that he done fraud on my credit card. At first time he denied and start threatening me, but when gave him all the details about his address, shipment detail, item name, date etc. which were mentioned in the document I received the person calm down and start negotiating me. I just asked him to send a letter to bank and keep me in the copy list; he did it and the story end here. I asked bank to close the card but they assure me that this will not happen again so I say yes to send me another card.

I received another card within3 day, but I done a single transaction to on a petrol pump and keep that card safe.

After few month the next story start, this time the matter was more serious not related to me but relate if we think this was related to security hole in our airline company also.

Around the 11:30 AM of 10^th of august 2009 when I was sitting in my office and fortunately the card was with me at that time. I received a SMS form bank saying thank you for using you card for a transaction of amount Rs 5420 on ezeego travel. I was surprised to see his SMS, and check my account online and saw that yes there was a transaction done of said amount just before 3 minute. So repeated the same process called the customer care and ask told them all and requested them to deny this. But again same answer that they cannot deny the transaction and I have to wait for 2 day so that transaction is to be confirm. Even till today I didn’t get the answer that what they mean for transaction is to be confirmed. Any way after 2 day when he transaction was confirmed I repeated the same procedure, downloaded the dispute form fill signed and mal back to them and keep a canned copy of same with me.

I keep calling to customer care to know the stats but they asked me to wait for 5 day. After 5 day I received a mail saying that they have received the mail and case will be resolved within 40 day.

After around 30-35 day (after receiving the statement bearing the amount) I called customer care why the dispute amount is here (as they have accepted that this is the dispute amount) but they advice to pay the amount but this time I had decide I m not going to pay, will raise this to consumer forum, RBI and media.

After 40 day when I called to know the status the customer care representative told that he is forwarding this request to concerned department, my god till 40 day this case was pending somewhere else L

Nay way process gain restarted but this time I was keeping record of all mail and was in touch with Ezeego travel, and aske given them all the details. The ezzego was more active in all this process I was keeping them also in the loop.

After 50 day I directly called to ezeego to know the details, and they assure me to get back to me by evening, and they did, they provided me all the detail, name of the person, address, mobile number, email address, and traveling details of that person on goair. The person has traveled from Delhi to Mumbai by go air in moth of august.

I mail back to bank with all detail so that this case can be close as soon as possible, But in mean time the second statement of my credit card was generated and this time they have charge late payments, finance charge etc of around 1800 again the transaction and called me on me cell phone to pay the amount. I denied paying. They handover this to their recovery agent and agent start calling and threatening me to pay, but this time I was well prepare to teach the lesson to bank. So I keep recording of all call and mail. And send it to bank, and included news channel in the cc list.

But I think no one ready to help me, I personally approached to media and told the entire story but I didn’t get help form hem also.

Upon calling to the fraud person some leady was picking up the phone. When I mail to that person the mal bounced. So i decide to go o he address mention, and you can guess what happened .the address was also fake. The house number mention was the number of a vacant plot where there was no sign of any building even around that plot. I was very disappointed,

After all this I have decide to reach to RBI Banking Ombudsman, and provided all the detail t RBI with proof of all the record.

After few day, this was month of Nov 2009 (I think 40 day for bank is 4 Month LOL J), I received mail from bank saying that this case is being closed in m favor and all amount will be reverted back.

Surprisingly in month of Jan 2010 I receive mail from RBI that a meeting has been fixed with RBI on the 1^st Feb 2010 regarding this case. And after 2 day I also receive a call from bank to reply to all saying that this case has been closed.

I was tired of all these so I reply to all and the story end.

But this happening, forced me to cancel all my credit card. Now I have a single card and reduced he limit of that to very low.

But this force me to think about the security threat happened during all this. How he go-air has allows the person to travel, why they didn’t do the security check, or that person was from Go-Air itself. Our government is saying that they are tightening the security on air travel and in spite of all this happened,

I think now it time for our air-line to tighten the security at airport even in case of domestic travel too. And would like to ask bank and Credit Card Company they now they should include the requirement of PIN in case of Credit Card too.

This was all about my case. Please don’t forget to put your comments so that we can raise our voice again all such type of fraud. You can also visit www.legpulling.com , www.bhargavapandey.com for more.