FASTag deducted ₹295 for a toll plaza my car never crossed. ICICI Bank and NHAI are sending me in circles.
Today at 8:12 PM, I received an SMS saying that ₹295 had been deducted from my ICICI FASTag for crossing Bhagwanpur Toll Plaza at 6:00 AM on 3 July.
The problem is that my vehicle was never anywhere near Bhagwanpur Toll Plaza. My car was parked at home, and I wasn’t even in that area.
I immediately called ICICI Bank to report the unauthorized deduction. Instead of resolving the issue, I was told to raise a dispute through their portal. The problem is that the dispute option they asked me to use doesn’t even exist.
I then called the NHAI helpline (1033). The representative asked me for a 14-digit Transaction ID. I called ICICI again, and they only provided a 10-digit reference number. When I contacted them again, they explained that FASTag transactions only have a Trip ID, not the Transaction ID that NHAI was asking for.
I called 1033 again and explained everything from the beginning. This time, I was told their system was not working and was asked to stay on hold. After waiting for about 15 minutes, the call got disconnected. Since then, every time I call 1033, the call either disconnects or doesn’t go through.
This experience raises some serious questions:
● How can toll be deducted when my vehicle never crossed that toll plaza?
● Is the FASTag system secure?
● Why is it so easy to buy and recharge a FASTag, but so difficult to report fraud?
● Why are ICICI Bank and NHAI giving conflicting information instead of helping customers?
Has anyone here experienced something similar? If yes, how did you get your money back or get the issue resolved?
I’ll also be filing complaints with NHAI and the consumer grievance authorities. Any advice would be appreciated.