Kochi: At a time when thefts using ATM debit cards are reported frequently, the customers of the State Bank Group, especially the State of Travancore, are a worried lot since they have not been provided with SMS alerts about transactions of the last three months despite opting for the service. “I’ve an account with the SBT Ravipuram shipyard branch and have not received the alerts for the last three months despite submitting the application for the service at least thrice. However, Rs 30 was deducted by the bank from my account for the service last quarter,” rued Mahesh Mohan, a railway staffer.
In Ernakulam district alone, there were four cases, including one at Thrikkakara on Tuesday in which various rackets were busted for stealing debit card details of victims using skimming machine and then looting lakhs of rupees after making duplicate cards using the information to drain cash from their bank accounts. “We’re in constant fear of losing money. Last week, I didn’t receive any money on using an ATM at Thripunithura despite the machine showing that the transaction was successful. Since I didn’t get the SMS alert, I had no idea whether the money was deducted from my account or not,” said Kiran Raj, a techie.
When contacted, a senior bank official of the Ravipuram branch admitted receiving the complaints from many. “We’ve outsourced the service to a private agency. The problem will be looked into and already a direction has been sent to rectify the technical issue,” the official said. Meanwhile, another section of customers encountered a different problem on Saturday last when they received an SMS alerting that their ATM/debit cards have been blocked owing to security reasons. The recipients rushed to the home branches. However, in some branches, the bank officials had no clue about such alerts and sought to contact the headquarters. Those who found their cards blocked were asked to submit requests for getting them unblocked. Bank officials, however, termed them as a “preventive measure.”
