Forgery and Misrepresentation. Review on Standard Chartered Visa Credit Card

I am writing to you to highlight this case where Standard Chartered Bank issued me a credit card of Rs 5 lakh credit limit without my consent and basis my FORGED signatures. This is very critical matter and I am sure that I may not be the only person who is a victim of such criminal and illegal practices of the bank. I would request you to please help me and the public at large by spreading the word. I also have the evidence of voice record of the officials of the bank admitting to the forgery of my signatures and also the copies with my forged signatures.

I also approached the BO but they responded that this matter requires detailed evidence from parties and hence they can not decide on this.

The brief facts of the matter are:

This started sometime in April last year when one of the Standard Chartered Bank representative called me and promised a credit card with some very lucrative features like 5% to 15% cash backs on fuel, grocery, retail shopping, utilities and a host of other things, wonderful reward points, joining gifts and all that at no joining fee or annual fee.

Although I showed my disinterest initially as I already have credit cards and don't need any other credit card but the executive was successful in inducing me by all the above mentioned features and I told him many times that I am only agreeing on the condition that I would be interested only if all this is correct and true and I don't want to pay any kind of charges for this.

He then asked me to provide copies of certain documents with my signatures to one of

the person who visited my office to collect them. After few weeks, I received a credit card from the bank but it had almost none of the features that I was promised and also asked me to pay a joining fee. Annoyed by this, I immediately lodged a complaint with the bank on customer care and on email. It is also worth mentioning that it almost impossible to get through the customer care numbers.

After following it for a number of times on emails, some people from the sales team of the bank started calling me more with the intent to UNDERSTAND from me again and again my grievance than to try and resolve it. They did not have any intention to try and resolve and at times they tried to intimidate and bully me as well.

After quite a long time, I got a response that I was only provided a card that I had accepted in writing by signing a form and hence I have no reason to complaint. This was shocking to me as I had never signed a form and the bank never asked me to fill or sign any form. I requested for a copy of the same and on receiving the same I was further shocked to see that my signatures were forged by the bank on the documents and I was issued a card basis that form that I never signed.

I immediately complained about the same as well to the bank on June 25 but despite again following up on a number of occasions, the bank is constantly ignoring my emails.

I then filed a complaint with BO and then the representatives (named Nazneen) of the bank called me and wanted me to explain the matter AGAIN for investigation. After spending a long time in their 'investigation', Nazneen admitted on phone that indeed my signatures were forged and I demanded a compensation for all the wrongdoings meted to me and for their illegal act which could have caused me financial loss as well. Bank's Nodal Office Anand Parkash also admitted to the forgery but again did not respond to my demand of compensation.

They have responded that they would come back after checking with the authorized persons in the bank. On other hand they responded to the BO that this matter is closed with me and the BO responded that this matter can not be decided by it since this requires evidence by the parties. I need the help from you to help in getting justice by way of compensation so that it may prove as some deterrent for the Bank and also to make public aware of such practices of the bank.

Thank you,

Sanjay Gupta