NACH or ECS Debit Without Consent: Cancel Mandate and File RBI Complaint

A NACH or ECS debit can be useful for EMI, rent, insurance premium, SIP, school fee, or subscription payment. It becomes dangerous when money leaves after the loan is closed, after the service is cancelled, or without a mandate you remember signing.

If the debit is happening right now, jump to what to do in the next 30 minutes.

Use this guide if any of these happened.

• An EMI or subscription was debited after closure or cancellation.
• A lender or app created a mandate you do not recognise.
• A bank says “NACH debit” but does not show who raised it.
• A company says the mandate is active but refuses to share the UMRN.
• A debit keeps repeating even after written cancellation.
• Your complaint is being passed between the bank and the merchant.

Do not write only “money deducted”. Ask for the payment rail and mandate details.

NPCI describes NACH as a high-volume repetitive payment solution and its NACH page lists the facility for cancellation of mandates to be provided to customers. NPCI NACH

Report through internet banking, phone banking, branch email, and the bank's unauthorised transaction channel. RBI requires banks to give customers 24×7 access through multiple channels for reporting unauthorised electronic transactions. RBI customer protection circular

Use clear words:

This is an unauthorised NACH / ECS / mandate debit.
I do not recognise this mandate / I had cancelled this mandate.
Please block further debits, share the UMRN and mandate copy,
and reverse the debit or give a written refusal with reasons.

Save the complaint number and timestamp.

Ask for two separate actions.

1. Refund / reversal of the disputed debit.
2. Cancellation, stop, or block of the mandate for future debits.

Do not assume that a refund request stops the mandate. A repeating debit can continue next month if the mandate remains active.

If the debit came from a lender, app, insurer, school, gym, housing society, or subscription company, send a written request.

Ask for:

• the mandate form or e-mandate consent record
• UMRN
• date of mandate registration
• last four digits of bank account used
• full ledger of debits raised
• closure or cancellation status
• reason why debit was raised after cancellation or loan closure

If they cannot show a valid mandate, say that the debit is unauthorised and ask them to instruct the sponsor bank to reverse it.

RBI's unauthorised electronic transaction circular says zero liability can apply where the unauthorised transaction happens because of bank negligence, or where a third-party breach is reported to the bank within 3 working days of receiving the bank communication. RBI customer protection circular

RBI also says that once notified, the bank must credit the amount involved in an unauthorised electronic transaction within 10 working days as a shadow reversal, and the complaint must be resolved within a policy timeline not exceeding 90 days. RBI customer protection circular

This does not mean every EMI dispute is automatic zero liability. If you gave a valid mandate and the lender is claiming a real overdue EMI, the dispute becomes a contract or loan-account dispute. If the mandate is forged, cancelled, expired, or used for an amount not authorised by you, treat it as unauthorised and press the bank for a written liability decision.

If customer care only says “merchant issue”, send the complaint to the branch manager and the bank's principal nodal officer.

Attach:

• account statement showing the debit
• SMS or email alert
• first complaint acknowledgement
• cancellation request, if any
• company or lender reply
• any proof that loan, policy, or subscription was closed

Ask for four answers:

1. Who raised the mandate debit?
2. What UMRN or mandate ID was used?
3. What document or e-consent proves my authority?
4. What date will refund and mandate cancellation be completed?

Use RBI's Complaint Management System when the bank does not resolve the complaint, gives no reply, or gives a closure that does not answer the mandate facts. RBI's FAQ says online complaints under the Reserve Bank Integrated Ombudsman Scheme are filed through CMS. RBI Integrated Ombudsman FAQ, RBI CMS

Pick the closest category for bank account, unauthorised electronic transaction, failed service, or mandate debit. Upload one PDF with the bank complaint, debit proof, UMRN request, mandate cancellation request, and the bank reply.

Subject: Unauthorised NACH / ECS debit and request to cancel mandate

Dear Sir/Madam,

My account was debited as follows:

Account holder name: [your name]
Account last 4 digits: [1234]
Debit date and time: [date and time]
Amount: Rs [amount]
Narration shown in statement: [copy exact narration]
Complaint number, if any: [number]

I do not authorise this debit / I had already cancelled this mandate /
the related loan or service was closed on [date].

Please:
1. Share the UMRN, utility code, sponsor bank, and mandate copy.
2. Block all future debits under this mandate.
3. Reverse the disputed debit.
4. Give a written reason if the bank claims I am liable.
5. Confirm the action taken under RBI's customer protection circular on
   unauthorised electronic banking transactions.

I am attaching the account statement, alert screenshot, and my earlier
cancellation or closure proof.

Regards,
[Your name]
[Mobile]
[Date]

RTI can help only when the record sits with a public authority. Use RTI when:

• the debit relates to a public-sector bank
• the debit relates to a government scheme loan or subsidy account
• a public authority sponsored or approved the payment file
• you need the file noting on a complaint made to a public-sector bank

Ask for the mandate copy, UMRN, inward debit request, complaint noting, and the officer's decision. Do not use RTI against a private bank, private NBFC, or private subscription company.

No. NACH and ECS are mandate-based bank debit systems. UPI AutoPay is a UPI mandate. The evidence trail and cancellation screen can differ. The complaint principle is the same: get the mandate reference and cancel future debits.

The bank can involve the merchant or sponsor bank, but it should still give you the debit details and a written complaint decision. RBI places the burden of proving customer liability for unauthorised electronic banking transactions on the bank. RBI customer protection circular

Ask for the mandate amount, frequency, expiry date, and the debit file. If the debit exceeded your authority, dispute it as an unauthorised or excess debit and ask for reversal.

Attach the loan closure letter, no-dues certificate, or final settlement proof. Ask the lender to cancel the mandate and ask the bank to block it. If the lender is regulated by RBI, complain through RBI CMS after the lender or bank fails to resolve.

Do not close the account as the first step if a complaint is active. First block or cancel the mandate and preserve statements. Closing may make the trail harder to prove.

• Take a screenshot of the debit and bank alert.
• Call or email the bank's unauthorised transaction channel.
• Ask for UMRN, mandate copy, and immediate mandate block.
• Email the lender or company asking for mandate proof.
• Save every complaint number.
• Set reminders for 3 working days, 10 working days, and 30 days.

• Banking command desk
• RBI complaint against a bank
• UPI AutoPay mandate fraud
• ECS mandate created without consent
• ECS mandate continues after loan closure
• Loan penal charges refund complaint

• NPCI, NACH product page and mandate cancellation reference
• RBI, Customer Protection: Limiting Liability of Customers in Unauthorised Electronic Banking Transactions, 6 July 2017
• RBI, Reserve Bank Integrated Ombudsman Scheme FAQ
• RBI Complaint Management System

Last reviewed on 2 July 2026.