Complaint filed against CIBIL for wrong credit report

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, July 18

Having received threat calls from a credit card company and getting his name “wrongly included as bad account in the CIBIL report”, a former member of the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum Jalandhar Surinder Mittal has lodged a complaint on the matter with Superintendent of Police Phagwara.

Mittal said, “On May 30, I received a call from a person working with a credit card company. He told me that there is an outstanding amount of Rs 1.2 lakh against me. I was shocked as for the past more than 10-12 years, I had owned not any credit card. The caller started threatening me by saying that he was calling from the legal department of SBI Cards, New Delhi, and if I did not make the payment of Rs 1.2 lakh, then they would take legal action against me.”

Mittal further added, “He also tried to make a compromise for Rs 20,000. I again told him that I did not have any credit card for the past more than 10-12 years, so there is no question of using the same and having any outstanding amount as being claimed by him. Then Rajveer Singh threatened me of dire consequences and told me that they have sent my name and details to the CIBIL (Credit Information Bureau of India Limited) and disconnected the phone.”

Mittal said he tried to check his CIBIL report online and found that his name being highlighted in that report as bad account, as an amount of Rs 1,20,155 was marked in red colour against an account which was opened on July 16, 2005.

“Later, I got to know that unless I resolved this matter, I can not avail of any loan from any bank.”

CIBIL is a credit information company operating in India and maintains records of all credit-related activities of individuals and companies including loans and credit cards. Now-a-days, many credit card and private finance companies are reportedly using the CIBIL report as a tool to blackmail and extort money from innocent people by submitting false and illegal reports.

He added, “Any bank or private finance institution has to initiate recovery proceedings within a period of 3 years from the date of default of amount due. I did not receive any legal notice or summons in this regard.” He has demanded that a case for intimidation, blackmailing and extortion by illegal and unlawful means be registered after a proper inquiry.

Sequence of events

• On May 30, Surinder Mittal received a call from a person working with a credit card company that there is an outstanding amount of Rs 1.2 lakh against him and if he did not make the payment, a legal action would be initiated against him. He had not owned any credit card for the past 10-12 years
• The caller tried to make a compromise with Surinder  for Rs 20,000. He also threatened him of dire consequences and told him that they had sent his name and details to the CIBIL.
• Mittal checked his CIBIL report online and found that his name was highlighted in that report as a bad account, as an amount of Rs 1,20,155 was being marked in red colour against his account no.
• He also got to know that he was not eligible for loans unless he cleared his dues.
• Mittal said he did not receive any legal notice or summons in this regard from the bank earlier.