Bank of Baroda, one of India’s leading state-owned lenders, has refuted allegations that its officials engaged in fraudulent activities by using the phone numbers of strangers to inflate registrations for its mobile banking app, BoB World.
The denial comes in response to a report by Al Jazeera, which claimed that bank officials linked unrelated bank accounts to random mobile numbers in order to meet stringent onboarding targets.
Bank of Baroda’s Officials Engaging in Fraudulent Activities
According to the report, Bank of Baroda employees from various regions, including Bhopal, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Jharkhand, allegedly adopted this practice to achieve their targets. The employees would gather a list of bank accounts not linked to mobile numbers and then associate them with any available mobile numbers, including those of bank staff, sanitation and security workers, and their relatives.
This enabled them to generate the necessary OTPs for app registration. The accounts would then be signed up from the backend and subsequently deregistered, allowing the same mobile numbers to be reused for other bank accounts.
The report also highlighted internal emails exchanged within Bank of Baroda that acknowledged the risks associated with linking bank accounts to unfamiliar mobile numbers. It stated that customers who fell victim to this practice faced the potential dangers of fraud, as the individuals with access to the registered mobile numbers could alter online banking passwords, gain control over new ATM cards, and manipulate bank accounts.
Bank of Baroda Denies Allegations
Bank of Baroda, however, has firmly denied these allegations. In a statement, the bank emphasized that it maintains a robust system with stringent controls in place. It asserted that the BoB World mobile banking app cannot be linked to the same mobile number multiple times. To register or update a mobile number, customers are required to visit a bank branch in person and complete a two-factor authentication process. The mobile number is then activated after a 24-hour period.
The bank further clarified that the linking of bank accounts to a single mobile number is restricted to a maximum of eight customer IDs, provided that the registered postal address is the same. This provision aims to offer convenience to customers belonging to the same family.
As the scandal unfolds, it raises concerns about the security of customers’ money and highlights the challenges banks face in handling sensitive financial information, particularly as the Indian government promotes digital banking and encourages the transition to a cashless economy. Bank of Baroda has stressed its commitment to maintaining robust systems and controls to protect customer interests and ensure the integrity of its operations.
