A cash withdrawal you never made: identify the channel, then act

Reviewed on: 2026-06-12.

Your statement shows cash leaving the account, and you did not take it. The remedy depends on the channel, so read the narration first and follow the matching branch of this flow.

• If the entry says ATM, CW, or NFS with a location: someone used a card, a cloned card, or the bank posted a failed transaction as successful. Report today, claim zero liability, and demand the ATM electronic journal.
• If the entry says AEPS: your Aadhaar number and a spoofed fingerprint were used at a micro-ATM, often in another district. Report to the bank today, lock your Aadhaar biometrics, and see our dedicated guide on AePS unauthorised withdrawals.
• If the entry says “By Cash” or a branch withdrawal: a withdrawal slip or cheque was paid at a counter. Ask the branch for a copy of the paid instrument and the CCTV preservation, because a forged signature case is handled as fraud, not as an electronic dispute.
• If money was debited at an ATM but no cash came out: this is a failed transaction. The bank must reverse it within five days of the transaction, and RBI's turnaround time rules add compensation of Rs 100 per day of delay beyond that. See ATM dispensed less than debited for the short-dispense version.

Whatever the branch of the flow, two actions are common and urgent: report in writing today, and ask the bank in writing to preserve the evidence.

RBI's framework on unauthorised electronic transactions (6 July 2017) links your refund to your reporting speed. Report within three working days of the bank's alert and your liability is zero. Report on day four to seven and your liability is capped, typically Rs 5,000 for small accounts, Rs 10,000 for regular savings, Rs 25,000 for certain current accounts and high-limit cards. Beyond seven working days, the bank's board policy decides. The bank is also expected to give provisional credit within 10 working days of your report and close the complaint within 90 days.

The second clock is evidence. ATM CCTV is overwritten, often within 30 to 90 days, and the only person who can order preservation in time is you, in writing, this week.

1. Call the bank's 24×7 number, report the disputed withdrawal, block the card if a card channel was used, and write down the reference number and time of call.
2. Email the bank's grievance ID the same day repeating the complaint. State the date, time, amount and location from the SMS or statement, that you did not make or authorise the withdrawal, and that the card and PIN stayed with you. Claim zero liability under the 2017 circular.
3. Ask the bank in writing to preserve the ATM electronic journal (EJ), the switch log, and the CCTV footage for that ATM and time window.
4. If fraud is apparent, report on cybercrime.gov.in or call 1930, and keep the acknowledgement number. For AePS cases, lock biometrics in the mAadhaar app or on the UIDAI site.
5. Note where you actually were at that time, and keep supporting proof: office attendance, tolls, another card swipe in a different city.

Every ATM writes an electronic journal, a machine log of each transaction: card number, time, amount requested, amount dispensed, and error codes. If the EJ shows cash was not dispensed, your case ends in a reversal. If it shows a clean dispense, the dispute shifts to who stood at the machine, which is what the CCTV answers. Always ask the bank to state, in its written reply, what the EJ showed. Banks that reject disputes with a one-line “transaction successful” often retreat when asked for the EJ extract, because the burden of proving the customer's liability rests on the bank under the RBI framework.

1. No reply or a one-line rejection: write to the bank's principal nodal officer, attaching the complaint reference and asking for the EJ findings and CCTV review in writing.
2. 30 days without satisfactory resolution: file with the RBI Integrated Ombudsman at cms.rbi.org.in. It is free, online, and covers banks and the small finance and payments banks that often run AePS terminals.
3. Loss caused by negligence: a consumer complaint on e-Daakhil remains open for compensation, generally within two years.
4. Forged branch withdrawal: insist on an FIR alongside the bank's internal fraud process, because the paid slip and signatures become criminal evidence.

If the bank refuses even to accept your dispute at the counter, that refusal has its own fix: bank refuses to register a transaction dispute.

RTI reaches public sector banks. If your account is with SBI or another nationalised bank, you can file RTI with the bank's CPIO for the EJ extract for the disputed transaction, the CCTV preservation status, and the investigation findings on your complaint. This works because the records concern your own account. For private banks, RTI does not apply, and the same documents must be demanded through the dispute and Ombudsman process. The RBI is a public authority, so the status of your CMS complaint can also be sought under RTI. Start at how to file RTI online.

• AePS withdrawal you never authorised
• ATM gave less cash than debited
• Account frozen over a fraud-linked credit
• Bank refuses your dispute form

The complete set is at all practical guides.

Yes, strongly. A withdrawal far from your location, with the card in your possession, points to cloning or AePS misuse. Say this in your first complaint and attach location proof. Distance plus prompt reporting is the classic zero-liability fact pattern.

A correct PIN does not end the matter. Skimming devices capture both card data and PIN. Under the RBI framework, the bank has to establish customer negligence, not merely assert PIN use. Ask for the EJ extract and CCTV review in writing.

Where the unauthorised transaction framework applies and you reported promptly, the bank is expected to credit the disputed amount as shadow credit within 10 working days of your report, pending investigation.

AePS rides on Aadhaar seeding, not on a card or app you enabled. If your Aadhaar is seeded to the account, a fraudster with your Aadhaar number and a cloned fingerprint can attempt withdrawals. Lock biometrics via mAadhaar and report to the bank and cybercrime portal the same day.

Demand the written investigation findings, including the EJ and CCTV basis. Then file at cms.rbi.org.in within the Ombudsman's limitation window, attaching the rejection. Ombudsman review of thin rejections is common.

Change the card and PIN, disable channels you do not use (international, contactless, AePS where the bank permits), and keep the account active so alerts and reversals reach you. Move surplus balances to another account if you remain worried.

Download the unauthorised withdrawal action checklist (PDF).