I received a call from someone claiming to be my bank asking to verify my card details, is this legal or a scam?

Question

A caller claiming to be from my bank's fraud department or customer care asked me to confirm my card number, CVV or OTP. I would like to understand which provision governs this, what it entitles me to, and how long I have before the remedy lapses. I also want to know whether I need a lawyer for this or can do it myself.

MyVakeel Legal Desk · Accepted Answer

In India, the answer to "I received a call from someone claiming to be my bank asking to verify my card details, is this legal or a scam?" turns on Information Technology Act, 2000 – Section 66D, Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 – Section 318 and RBI Master Direction on Digital Payment Security Controls, 2021. The points below set out the position and then what to do about it, in the order it should be done.

No genuine bank representative will ever ask for your full card number, CVV, PIN or OTP over a phone call — banks already have your card details on file and never need you to 'confirm' or 'verify' them this way; this is classic vishing (voice phishing).

Under the RBI Master Direction on Digital Payment Security Controls, 2021, banks are required to educate customers that OTPs/CVVs should never be shared, and any employee/agent asking for these is either impersonating the bank or acting outside authorised protocol.

This conduct by the caller is cheating by personation under Section 66D IT Act and cheating under Section 318 BNS, and if you lose money as a result, the RBI's zero-liability circular applies provided you report within 3 working days.

Vishing calls often spoof the bank's actual customer care number on caller ID (called 'number spoofing'), so do not rely on the displayed number as proof of authenticity — always hang up and call the number printed on your card/passbook independently.

Report the phone number to your telecom operator and to cybercrime.gov.in so it can be blocked/investigated, since these numbers are frequently reused across multiple victims in a short period.

What this means for you: 1) Hang up immediately and never share CVV/OTP/PIN over a call; 2) Verify by calling your bank's official number printed on your card; 3) Report any resulting fraud to your bank within 3 working days and file at cybercrime.gov.in; 4) Report the scam number to your telecom operator/Chakshu facility.

Where the facts are disputed, what usually decides a vishing scam matter is the paper trail — dated complaints, acknowledgments and written replies under Information Technology Act, 2000 – Section 66D. You can post the details on the MyVakeel forum for a practising advocate to review, or book a paid consultation with a Bar Council verified lawyer in cyber law.