A Kerala man in a social media post reported receiving two unknown UPI payments but chose not to return them, suspecting a scam. A Phone Pe user named Puthumbaka Suma had transferred ₹2000 on 31 August and another ₹4000 on 3 September. The man of Malayali decent alleged that his account was frozen by HDFC Bank without any prior notice.
He tagged Kerala Police to alert the authorities as he claimed that it was an illegal move. Taking to X, he wrote, “Kerala Police I’d like to bring to your notice that on the 31st and 4th of August I received two via UPI. I did not send it back as I thought it was some scam.” He further stated that the sender had contacted him through WhatsApp, asking for return of the entire of the entire amount.
However, he asked the sender to contact their respective bank for the reversal of the transaction, suspicious of the sender’s he sought proper channel to resolve this issue. But to his surprise, the bank held the amount on lied and froze his entire account which had his entire salary, making him incapable of making any payment. Expressing concern over denied access to his funds, he complained, “There is a Kerala high court ruling that says banks can only freeze disputed amount and not the whole account. How should I survive? How do I make my payments and pay my employees their wages? I have even written an email to the cyber cell. The response team was very efficient.”
Further revealing that he alerted cyber cell over the issue, he mentioned that his poor health after an accident made it impossible for him to approach the bank and settle the matter. “I’m currently recovering after a broken jaw and spine injury. How can I be expected to go to the bank to settle these trivial matters? @HDFCBank_Cares did this without even informing me,” the post said
What are the rules and customer’s rights
According to the HDFC customer, Kerala High Court ruling states that banks can no longer freeze entire accounts due to disputes over specific amounts, ensuring that account holders retain access to their funds. Banks are permitted to mark a lien only on the disputed amount.
“The practice of freezing entire accounts for disputes involving relatively minor sums is not only unjust but also disrupts the financial stability of account holders. Banks are henceforth directed to exercise their right of lien only over the specific disputed amounts, leaving the rest of the account balance accessible to the customer,” the ruling states.
In another post shared on 7 September, he revealed that HDFC branch manager Shaji Thomas, Abey Joseph of Manarcad branch, Suhas Aitwade of the HRBR layout branch, provided him assistance in the case and helped him unblock his account. This post was followed by another cautious advisory, warning banking customers against cybercrimes and . He detailed steps to follow in such a case of disputed transaction amid fraud risk.
“If this happens to you, I would strongly recommend contacting your bank and allowing the bank to verify and, if appropriate, reverse the transaction.
In my case, I received an unexpected payment from a person who subsequently asked me to return it. I told her to contact her bank and said that I would co-operate with any reversal initiated or verified through the bank.
A cyber complaint was subsequently filed against me. I was then asked to pay substantially more than the amount originally received in exchange for withdrawing the complaint. I did not agree to this and instead chose to deal with the matter through the proper banking and legal channels.
Today, I visited my bank and was informed that my account had been unfrozen and that the disputed amount was being held under lien pending the appropriate process.
I am sharing this only as a cautionary account of my experience. If you receive money into your account unexpectedly, do not transfer it back solely on the basis of messages or phone calls. Contact your bank, document the communication, and let the bank or the appropriate authorities handle the reversal and verification.
It is far safer to let the banking system resolve a disputed transaction than to try to sort it out privately.”